Flirting With Danger

Episode 1 - All that remains

[flirtingwithdanger-dw]

Montreal ComicCon

We went to see David Tennant, Alex Kingston and Freema Agyeman yesterday. Today, we wandered through Old Montreal. I realize that even though they were streets away, that they probably wouldn't have had the same carefree day we did, if they had followed our path.

[flirtingwithdanger-dw]

All That Remains - Part 5

Episode 1 of the “Flirting with Danger” series.

(Happy Birthday, David Tennant!)

The biggest Library in the universe has been abandoned to the Vashta Nerada, creatures that melt the flesh of those they encounter.  Can Professor River Song overcome her rage at being abandoned, and save the unexpected visitors from their fate?

Dominique Angelo looks back.  Behind her, their ship lay nestled inside the Mythology and Folklore section of the Library, which had been built as a replica of the Temple of Athena Nike.

“So much for closing the hatch,” complained her companion over the comm, his face obscured by the bulky helmet.

“It’s the least of our worries right now.  There are no thieves at the Library.  No living ones, anyway.  The Vashta Nerada will guard the ship.  Besides, it won’t be flying any time soon.”  

“True,” he agreed, “We have no choice but to abandon it. It would be suicide to get it airborne again.  But Corporate’s not going to like another write-off from this Library.”

They settle into an uneasy silence, but pick up their pace.

“I wish you hadn’t insisted on coming with me.”

“You shouldn’t be alone on your first trip back to the Library.”

“I’m not going to try to return to the Dream World like Hendran and Bolonski.  I realize that I’ve been displaced in time.  Everyone I knew. . . before . . . is dead.  Or old.  Or pining after the Dream.  I don’t want to relive my days in the Dream.  I want to continue my work.  The Library should be a library again.”

Silence falls again.

Charles breaks the uneasy silence, “That’s not going to happen as long as the Vashta Nerada rule this world.”

Dominique agrees, “How I wish that weren’t so.”

They work their way to the nearest Library entry portal. Sparkling dust poofs in the blue glow surrounding their suits as they walk, but quickly settles back to the ground.

Charles manhandles the door, hauling it open with a screech of door fasteners neglected for a century.  After they pass, he tries to close it, but does not have the strength.

“Ignore the door.  We can’t waste time.   The ship’s Emergency beacon is set, but unless we’re particularly lucky, there will be no one to rescue us for several days.  We have to hope the Vashta Nerada don’t notice us.”

“If the hull hadn’t been so badly breached, we would have been safer in the ship.”

“Our only hope is to transmat to Doctor Moon and wait for rescue.”

“You know the library better than anyone.  Where’s the nearest transmat?”

“There’s a shop by Terran Greek Mythology.”

“Hopefully, it’s still functional.  The Song Party had to materialize in Biology because it was the only transmat in the region accepting connection requests.”

“Maybe outbound is still working.”

“Hmm,” he grunts.

In their way is a pile of books, still waiting for shelving. The antigrav had failed on the pallet jack, and the remains of the books lie on the floor, untouched for more than a century.

He walks around the books gingerly.  

“What’s the matter, Charlie, you don’t want to disturb the books?” asks Dominique.

“They give me the creeps.  The stories say that the Vashta Nerada came in the books.”

“That’s what the Doctor said.  But that was speculation.  As brilliant as I’m sure the Doctor is, we’ve only got Strackman’s word to go on.”

“Which he repeats ad nauseum to anyone who will listen. Weren’t you there as well?”

“I was.  I was in the Flesh Bank when the Vashta Nerada hatched, so that’s where I actualized. I ran to check on the Data Core, and ran into Strackman on the way.  We found him handcuffed to the wall.  We had to use his ‘sonic- screwdriver’ thing to unlock him.”

“That can’t have been pleasant.”

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that level of sadness in a man’s eyes before,” she stopped, and turned to her companion for a moment. “Such loneliness and sadness. . .”

She stops briefly, affected by her memories.   She refocuses, and changes the subject.

“To this day I wonder – how could the Vashta Nerada of the Library be so extraordinarily vicious? They exist in every backyard and alleyway in every city and town of every planet in this system, but they’ve never been known to attack the living.  There are so many aggressive species, especially on Prime, but the Vashta Nerada here are leagues ahead of the meek fellows we’re used to seeing.”

They pass into the stacks, past the index point, their way lit by the overhead lights.

“They feed off the waste of all living creatures, breaking down dead matter into an elemental state, maintaining the natural balance. They’re not inherently evil.”

She stops briefly to adjust her suit, then turns to look at Charles, “But the Vashta Nerada here at the Library are different. Instead of cleaning up after others, they attack living organisms, and will strip living flesh right off the bones. They hunt, rather than scavenge. They’ve developed an unsettling intelligence, and we know at minimum that they can use the comms.  

“We should avoid using the comms, then, if we want to avoid their attention.”

“I’ve set the comms to tight beam.  We can only talk if we’re in line-of-site.  That should reduce comm bleed.”

The lights flicker to life ahead of them as they walk. Charles flinches.

“Lights going on, not going off.” states Dominique.

“Papa gave me the Randin version of “4022 Saved” right after I got my rig permit.  I played it over and over again. Entertainment was very limited at HQ.  My instructors used it to illustrate how important how not to mix personal desires with the goals of the Company.  My young mind saw Vashta Nerada in every shadow. It became a bit of an obsession of mine for a while, before I sat exams.”

“I wish I could have been there for you.  I’m sorry.  Well, some good news - my life sign detector shows only you and me in this section.  No one outside the Library needs to worry about this aggressive subspecies of Vashta Nerada unless they manage to escape. . .”

“Do you have any theory about how could a passive scavenger like the Vashta Nerada become so vicious?”

“I’m sure you found a few theories in your research. The conspiracy nuts have gone wild with theirs.  But most of the true experts generally agree that natural selection can’t account for the sudden change.”

“You think someone intentionally made them dangerous?”

“I do. But why?  Not just why are they dangerous, but why are they in the Library?  If we can find the answer to this, maybe we can find a way to remove them and make the Library a library again.”

They enter an open area, with a bright windowed dome illuminating the room with natural light.  They approach the Librarian’s desk.

The Courtesy Node awakens.  A face appears and begins its greeting spiel.  

“Welcome to the Library.  I am Courtesy Node 65/Teal.  For the comfort of your fellow readers, please consider turning off your personal safety fields when not needed.  Your personal shield is transmitting a light wavelength that will cause burns for Buranians. There are currently no Buranians in the Library. Your comm code has been noted, and you will be informed if there are any Buranians in your area.”

Charles attends to the index point to get information.

A short silence follows, as Charles tried to interface with the Library computer systems.  Dominique scans the room with her device.

Charles looks at Dominique, “I can’t access the Main Computer to find the nearest transmat.”

Dominique approaches the computer interface.  “Well, that doesn’t help.”

“It looks like the Main Computer was damaged by that blast that hit us.  I’m surprised the courtesy node is working.  They disabled all connection to the Main computer from surface systems, likely to prevent the possibility of the Vashta Nerada getting off planet.  I can re-enable a transmat, but only if I present my credentials at the Main Computer.”

“So we have to go to the Main Computer, at the core of the planet.”

“It’s the only way off planet. Again, I’m sorry.  I thought you would be safe in orbit, not down here with me.”

“So, where’s the nearest Gravity Lift?”

Dominique leads the way to the center of the brightly lit floor.  She keys a code on her arm computer, and waits for the results.

A small gap appears on the floor where the gravity lift is located.

It does not open any wider.

She tries closing, then opening it again.  It opens a smaller amount this time.

“It’s wedged.  It looks like we’re going to have to take the goods lift.”

“That’s going to take a lot longer.”

“Yes, unfortunately.  And we will be sitting ducks, but it is the only other way to the core.”

“Then lead the way.  The sooner we start, the sooner we can get to the Transmat platform.”

As they reach the edge of the light circle, the lights outside the circle start to flicker.

“We’ve got incoming life signs. Millions.”

“Which direction?”

“Back by the Courtesy Node.”

They turn to look at the courtesy node.  They have a side-on view.  Nasty noises come from the device as the actualized flesh face on the Courtesy Node is consumed.

“So now we know how they have survived.  They’re eating the actualized faces on the Courtesy Nodes, like snacks from a vending machine.”

“Can we run now?” asks Charles.

“Yes, let’s run!” responds Dominique.

[flirtingwithdanger-dw]

All That Remains - Part 4

The biggest Library in the universe has been abandoned to the Vashta Nerada, creatures that melt the flesh of those they encounter.  Can Professor River Song overcome her anger at being abandoned, and save the unexpected visitors from their dire fate?

Cal is busy trying stabilize the systems when a warning chimes, “Buffer full.  Please remove contents of the Auxiliary buffer to continue processing.”

“Buffer full? But I need that space to stabilize main computer!  How can there be. . .”

She looks at the array.

“Sontarans.”

She adjusts the settings on her virtual console, looking at the various available data slots.

“StormCage is least damaged.  River’s going to have to share her space.  She’s not going to take this well in her current state.  I’d better do this in person.”

She gathers up the data signatures, downloads them to a temporary storage device, and proceeds to the StormCage virtual reality.

 Moments before impact with the marble floor, Clyde finds himself hoisted back as if by an invisible rope.  The maintenance droid has caught him in a tractor beam, which drops him with jerks and starts the remaining 2 meters.

His suit radiates a blue light, lighting up what appears to be a gallery of paintings, statues and other objects.  

He dashes to the center of the sunshine created by the enormous skylight.

“Oxygen levels low,” reports the automated voice of the suit, “Ventilation system failure.”

He whacks the helmet but it refuses to work.  

He’s running out of oxygen, and he has no choice but to take off his helmet.

The maintenance drone floats down from above, and meets him at the center of the sunlight, “You’ll find the air breathable, until the Vashta Nerada find you.  Then it won’t matter.”

“I’m hoping the shield is good.  It’s all I’ve got now.”

“Who are you?  You obviously know about the Doctor and Vashta Nerada.  But you came here anyway.”

“I’m Clyde.  Clyde Langer.  Do you know how to get in touch with the Doctor?  I’ve got something for him.”

“You’ve come to the wrong place.  He’ll never come here.   He hates endings.”

“Based on your boast to the Sontarans, I’m guessing you are Professor River Song.”

“So, what if I am?”

“Not a great answer, but it almost doesn’t matter.  The Library has a triple grid security system, and the Vashta Nerada are the best deterrent in the galaxy. I can’t think of a more secure spot to hide the Osmic Generator.”

“Osmic Generator.  That explains the Sontarans.  You’ve made some serious enemies”

“Yeah, that’s nothing new.  This isn’t my first run-in with the Sontarans. I didn’t like them then, and I like them less 5000 years later.”  

“So the Osmic Generator is working?  Vortex Manipulators are bad enough.  That couldn’t have been a pleasant trip.”

“Not everyone has access to a Tardis.  I was in bad shape after that trip, but I’m better now.”

“You know that you’re very lucky the Vashta Nerada ate the Sontarans first.  I assume that you didn’t think of just dropping it and running?”

“No, I’m just I’m wandering the most dangerous planet in the universe because I wanted to stretch my legs. The power coupling on my ship is damaged.  Without a replacement, I’m stuck here.  I was hoping to find a maintenance shop or repair center where I could pick up supplies.”

“This planet has been unoccupied for over 100 years. The hardware here is designed for another age.  It is very unlikely that a compatible power coupling can be found.”

“Well, then, lucky for me that ‘Hummingbird’ is over a hundred years old.  Antiques are a fancy of mine, being one myself.  Can you point the way to the nearest repair center?”

“You can find a Repair Center near the Transmat terminal,” says River.

“Let’s get a move on then.”

“You think I’m going with you?”

“Yeah.  Didn’t you mention you were bored? I bet I can make your life a bit more interesting,” replies Clyde.

“At least until the Vashta Nerada get you.”

“I’d prefer to avoid that.”

As they walk, his eyes fall on a painting on the wall, “The Mona Lisa.”  

“You landed on top of the Arts section.  This is the Antiquities Vault.  The greatest treasures the Lux and Angelo families were on display a hundred years ago for the Grand Opening.  Which never happened.”

“Because of the Vashta Nerada.”

He walks over to the painting.

“I’m sorry, Mona Lisa.”

“Why are you saying sorry to a painting?”

“There’s a woman, trapped in the painting.  I met her when I was a kid.”

“Sounds we had similar childhoods.  Ever met the Silence?”

“Not that I remember.”

He pulls out the sphere from before.  The device scans the painting.  

“That is her, and not a copy, right, Felicity?

The sphere flashes blue.

“Alright.  Let’s get her off planet.”

“I thought you weren’t a thief.”

“I’m not a thief.  This is a rescue mission. Can you imagine being stuck here for a hundred years in the silence of the Library?”

“I think I can imagine that.”

“I think it’s enough to drive someone insane.  I’m going to take her back to Earth.”

Felicity scans the portrait, and it transmats away.

“Where did you send that, your ship?”

“Why do you care?”

“Archeologist.”

“Right.  Mona Lisa is preserved in a stasis field, inside Felicity.”

“Well, that’s a handy device.”

“Yes, she is.  And she’s running away . . .”

The sphere glides to the floor, and rolls away.    

 “Come back here you little . . . sphere.”

He chases the device down the hallway.  River’s drone follows him.

“Just what type of mischief are you going to get up to, Clyde Langer?”

You can almost hear her grinning as she contemplates the potential fun.  “What harm can you do to a dead world?  I can always laser you if you get in my way!”  

[davidtennan-t]

Okay, so here’s the situation…

A video was posted online today of David Tennant signing stuff for people, and I can honestly say I have never seen a more perfect example of people not having enough respect for another human being. Read that again and look at the word respect, because that’s what I want to talk about here. 

Put yourself in David’s shoes - you’ve got to be somewhere or you’re going back home to your family, yet you still decide ‘you know what, there’s a few people outside, I’ll go and sign some stuff for them’. He’s taking time out of his day to be able to sign things for people - and yet behavior such as screaming his name, trying to grab his attention and shoving people out of the way seems to be the way people are thanking him for doing so? I mean, if you go and watch the video, there’s a point where he actually has to tell people to ‘calm down’ because the shouting is ridiculous. 

Now don’t get me wrong, you’re getting the chance to see/meet your idol, someone you look up to and you’re super excited - and I think in the midst of this some people loose their basic concept of respect. I know some of these people in the crowd are probably professional autograph hunters and so on, but still - that concept of respect is greatly tossed around here. 

When getting the chance to have something signed by someone, and I’m not just talking about David Tennant here anymore, I’m talking about celebrities in general - make sure you don’t loose your sense of respect. Don’t shout at them, don’t provoke them to come and sign something for you simply because ‘you’re shouting the loudest’ or ‘you can scream their name 100 times per minute’ and can shove people out the way. Stand quietly, be polite to others, wait your turn - respect the fact they are human beings.

And I’m not just going to use this video as one example. When I was lucky enough to go and see Richard II, I noticed just how many fans screamed at him to go to them when he came out to sign the booklets, people literally shoved other people out the way. I was lucky enough to not get seriously hurt, because at that point in time I was on crutches suffering from a snapped Achilles heel, and people still felt the need to push me out of the way to try and snap their way to the front of the line - and bare in mind I was staying out of the way to try and not get hurt. It’s a funny world, right?

So please, just remember one word when you’re in situations like this - respect.We’re lucky to have David Tennant as someone so lovely and compassionate to look up to. Respect him, and just as importantly, respect eachother. 

[flirtingwithdanger-dw]

This.

[flirtingwithdanger-dw]

All That Remains

The biggest Library in the universe has been abandoned to the Vashta Nerada, creatures that melt the flesh of those they encounter.  Can Professor River Song overcome her anger at being abandoned, and save the unexpected visitors from their dire fate?

[flirtingwithdanger-dw]

Thank you!

Thank you to all those who are following my blog.  Having an audience keeps me motivated. 

[flirtingwithdanger-dw]

Anyone want to play a game? I just got a set of ‘Rory’s Story Cubes’ and I thought it might be fun to see what kind of stories they can generate on Tumblr. If you want to play, pick at least 3 and write a little one shot. There are no Doctors in the dice set, so I believe he’s assumed, although not required. Here’s the first set. The dice are: The TARDIS console An Arctic Base (doesn’t have to be on this planet) A Silurian The Citadel on Gallifrey Regenerate River Song An Adipose A vent River Song’s Diary

[flirtingwithdanger-dw]

I’ve changed my mind on this game.  I’m rubbish at writing log lines.  I think I’ll write some log lines for this grouping to practice.  One-shots just take too much time when I’m still trying to work on “Flirting with Danger.”  Next section of “All that Remains” is coming along - the dialog was all stick-man, starting to fill out now.

[flirtingwithdanger-dw]

All that Remains Part 3

Episode 1 of the Flirting with Danger series

Clyde presses several buttons on his suit.   On his helmet screen, environmental suited decoys appear at several locations throughout the roof structure.   “That ought to keep them busy.”

The helmet alarm sounds in his ears.  

“Helmet malfunction.  Environmental systems offline. Oxygen supply at 25%.”

He snaps the warning off.

“Not now.  Quiet! I’ve got no choice.  This is the only environment suit I have!  It’s going to have to do!”

He looks around.  He ignores what would be a perfect hiding spot under a ventilation pipe.

“No, that’s a bit dark.  What else is there?”

He frantically searches the roof for a place to hide.  There are lots of nooks and crannies on the roof, but none of them are brightly lit.

He comes upon a rotunda, with raised window.  He hauls himself on top of it, and lays flat on the window pane, just above the view of the approaching Sontarans.

Three shapes approached his position, wearing full Sontaran battle gear and helmets, and carrying what appear to be laser pulse rifles.

“Halt, human scum.  We do not know how you and your ship survived the Omega Wave, but you are too feeble to escape our superior battle skills.”

They shoot at the first decoy.  It statics out of existence as the energy bolt passes through it. It reappears several feet away.

“Your Osmic Generator was a great help.  You thought it was completely irreparable, didn’t you? 20 minutes into the future, and all the way to the planet while you were busy chattering on,” says one of the figures.

Snahh fires at that decoy, which also statics out before reappearing.

“You knew we would come to the planet.”

“I guessed. Big planet, a serious shield and a sentry moon. How could you ever resist?” says another decoy.

Snahp looks at his twin, then fires at a different decoy which did not speak.  Snahp is disappointed, and his twin delighted as this one also statics out.

The commander speaks, “We will not make that error again.  But this is fortuitous!  We may now take the working Osmic Generator back to Sontar, and subjugate this planet as well.  Such glory is to be had!”

“Sorry, lads.  Bad news for you.  The inhabitants of this planet will kill you.  You ignored the warning beacons, didn’t you?  I’ll give you the abridged version – abridged version – get it? Library – books – abridged version?  Yeah, I didn’t expect you would get it.”

He continues, more seriously, “This is one of the most dangerous planets in the universe.”

“No foe can defeat Sontarans.”

“The Doctor has.  Multiple times.  Sarah Jane Smith has.  I’ve seen it firsthand.”

A shadow approaches Clyde’s hiding spot.  It is a Library Maintenance Drone.  Clyde sees it, and whispers, “Go away!”

The drone instead approaches Clyde closer.

He shoos it, as if it were a stray cat, “Leave me along. You’re going to give me away!”

The drone scans Clyde’s e-suit.  

Ignoring the recent insult, the Commanders says, “First, we will find you, then we will destroy you. Your armour is no match for our laser weapons.”

A voice comes from the drone, “Maybe because it’s an environmental suit, not battle gear…”

“Don’t tell them that.  They really don’t need to know.”

“Oh, they’ll know the minute they shoot.”

“Yeah, I know and you know.  So go away, so they won’t know.”

“Oh, I don’t think you want me to go away.  It looks like they’ve finally triangulated your position.  I’m your only hope.”

“I was hoping the Vashta Nerada might find them first.”

“Tsk, tsk.  Rather bloodthirsty for a friend of Sarah Jane Smith.  I kind of like that.  There may be hope for you after all.  Do you think you’re safe from the Vashta Nerada?”

“You know Sarah Jane?  Who are you?”

“I’m just a girl who’s looking for a little distraction. This will do.”

The drone lifts off from where it was hovering.

“Hello, boys.  What’s the Sontaran Seventh Technology brigade doing at the Library? Need to do some research?   Or are you here to fix up the place?  It’s becoming a bit run down, after all.”

Clyde speaks up, “I think you may want to step away from that shadow. . .”  He realizes that maybe he’s being a bit more helpful than he ought to be.

One of the Sontarans advances out of the shadow, but only as a flanking maneuver.

“You really should have listened to the boy.  He’s surprisingly brave for someone in his predicament.  I may even help him out.”

“We are not afraid of shadows like human half forms. Who are you, who hides behind a mechanical device rather than braving the field of battle?”

“You know the Doctor, of course.”

“You are one of his companions?”

“Oh, so much more.  Scan your databases for the Battle of Jenjin Reef.  I bested your 5th Sontaran Artillery Brigade.”

The Sontarans take one step back, before retaking their territory.

Clyde’s eyes widen for a moment.  Who could inspire such fear in Sontarans?

“We do not need to scan the databases.  We do not forget.  If you are Her, then you are a worthy opponent!  Sontar-ha!”

“Oh, now this is fun!  Too bad it won’t last.”  

The maintenance drone shoots its laser, inflicting minor damage on her enemy.  She seems to be toying with them.

The Sontarans continue fire their weapons.  Clyde’s perch is hit by a stray energy beam. The structure is damaged, and he can feel the glass separating from the structure.

“I’ve missed this.  I must get out more often!”

The laser cuts down one of the Sontarans, before being hit by a rifle blast.

“No, you don’t.  Now you’ve made me angry.  You will not damage my best ride!”

Another round takes out the Sontaran who hit the drone.

Clyde recovers his weapon.

“My turn!” he says, aiming at the remaining Sontaran who was aiming at the drone.

“I think you may be too late.  The Vashta Nerada are so hungry.”

The Sontarans, one by one, begin to shake in their suits. The commanders voice echoes from his comm, “We are not afraid of shadows.  We are not afraid of shadows.”

Clyde tries to rise to survey the damage.

“Not anymore you aren’t.  Argh!”

The movement separates the glass from the frame, and he falls into the structure below.

He drops, knowing that death waits for him when he hits the floor below.

[flirtingwithdanger-dw]

Anyone want to play a game? I just got a set of 'Rory's Story Cubes' and I thought it might be fun to see what kind of stories they can generate on Tumblr. If you want to play, pick at least 3 and write a little one shot. There are no Doctors in the dice set, so I believe he's assumed, although not required. Here's the first set. The dice are: The TARDIS console An Arctic Base (doesn't have to be on this planet) A Silurian The Citadel on Gallifrey Regenerate River Song An Adipose A vent River Song's Diary

[flirtingwithdanger-dw]

All That Remains - Part 2

Episode 1 of the “Flirting with Danger” series.

The biggest Library in the universe has been abandoned to the Vashta Nerada, creatures that melt the flesh of those they encounter.  Can Professor River Song overcome her anger at being abandoned, and save the unexpected visitors from their dire fate?

Professor River Song looks angrily at herself in the mirror. She pounds the wall in frustration.

“Oh this place is so boring!  I really have to get out more!”    

Her outline frizzes out like a TV screen with poor reception.

She shakes herself, and says, “You can’t leave.”

Her outline reverts to its regular solid appearance.

She paces the perimeter of her cell, her world. Memories of the life she used to live stare back at her – pictures of herself and the Doctor, of her and Amy and Rory.  The dress she wore on Darillium.   A picture of her crew, before they left for the Library.   

This is an exact replica of the cell walls where she had spent many years of her life, filled with boredom, anger, and… joy?

It is more a prison now than it was when she was imprisoned for murder.  Now there is no Tardis, no Doctor to take her away.  She longs to hear the sound that makes her heart race – the sound of a Tardis arriving.  It never comes.

“He won’t come.  There is no reason for him to come.  You are just a book on a shelf,” she says out loud.

Her thoughts are interrupted by the whispers that have filled her hours – all her hours now, since the dead and the Vashta Nerada do not sleep.  

The whispers surround her.  The whispers demand.  The whispers are maddening.

“You will bring us meat!”

“Quiet!” she says, knowing that they won’t stop.  They are unforgiving, unrelenting.

“You promised us flesh.  We are starving.  Bring flesh to our Forests or we will go find meat.”

They are not good at retaining information, and their view of the universe is so narrow, so she explains again, “Nine years ago you allowed the Doctor a day to clear the planet.  There are beacons warning all approaching ships.  No flesh person is stupid enough to land on this planet now. They will never come here again!”

“We must eat flesh.  There is a place with much flesh here.  Why can we not have the flesh?”

She sighs.  They’ve asked this hundreds of times, and she’s answered hundreds of times, “Yes, there is a Flesh Bank.  But unless you can materialize the ‘flesh’, you will not be able to eat it.  It can only be freed by the computer. You can use the comms, but you can’t figure out the computer.”

“You command the computer.  Order the computer to give us flesh,” they ask again, unaware they done this twenty times already today.

Her patience is at an end.

“I cannot tell the computer anything.  I have been imprisoned in this reality by the ungrateful girl.  My privileges are revoked.  Free me, and I can help you.”

“We cannot.  We cannot access the computer.”

“We need meat!”

“Oh, stop your complaining!  At least you’re free to roam the planet.”

A childlike song resonates throughout the cell.

“Go away.  She is coming!”

A young woman of 20 appears outside the cell bars.  

“If it isn’t my jailer, Cal.  How are things in the Library, Cal?  My love to everyone. . .”

“I hope I’m not interrupting something,” Cal says, ignoring River’s attempt to hurt her feelings, “I thought I heard voices.”

“No, just arguing with myself again.  Can’t get enough of it.  Only decent conversation I’m going to get around here.”

“I’m really sorry, River.  The cell can only be opened from the outside.  The audio is short range only, since I don’t know the medium that’s been used to infect the other data ghosts.  You would do the same if the situation was reversed. I know you’re angry, but the restraints are there for everyone’s best interest.”

“Because I’m dangerous. That hasn’t changed.”

“You haven’t been yourself recently.  I think probably since you were at Trenzelore.   I don’t know if it’s a virus, something is wrong with the emotional regulator subroutine, or what.  We need to fix this and get you all back to being yourselves.”

River’s outline frizzes slightly, and then returns to normal.   River shakes herself.

“It’s me, Cal.  I’m better now.  Come on, sweetie.  Let me out,” River wheedles.

“So sorry, River.  I wish I could. I can’t take that chance.  You did some serious damage that we can’t fix with the resources at hand.”

River realizes her tactic won’t work, and returns to her bad attitude.

She casually walks away from the bars, and with a little hand flip dismisses Cal’s concerns.

“So there’s a little damage.  This place is so stuffy and boring.  I had to liven it up somehow.  I can’t imagine a more boring place to get stuck than a Library.  This jail is almost more tolerable.  At least I have virtual guards to play with.  Look, call my Doctor.  He can fix it.  He’d do anything for me.”

“You mean The Doctor, since you disabled Doctor Moon.”

“He kept interrupting my fun.  All work and no play makes Doctor Moon a dull boy!”

“The maintenance drone is still wedged in the Antiquities Vault door.”

“Yeah, and it still has my Diary.  You know, it’s a very exciting read.  Better than any book here!”

“You damaged the shield generator!”

River looks away, unimpressed with the list of her sins, “So what?”  

“It keeps the VN in as much as keeping the innocent out.”

River turns to glare at Cal, “Maybe the Vashta Nerada want to go out and play.”

Cal frowns at River.  This is not the River who saved the Library.  This is someone else, entirely.  

“You tried to break into the Flesh Bank!”

“I know you’re hiding something in there.  I’ll find out what it is, I assure you,” she says, “And all that PseudoFlesh, and none to spare for the poor starving Vashta Nerada.”

“We don’t want them here.  Why would we feed them?”

Cal recovers her composure, “River, try to be patient while we figure out what’s happening.”

“Uh, uh.  Not a patient.  Prisoner.” River rattles the bars on her cell.

Her patience spent, River orders Cal, “You will let me go! Do you really think you can keep me here when even Storm Cage couldn’t contain me?”

Cal steps back from the violent response, “I’ve called in a favor.  Help is on the way.”  

River brightens, “Good.  Tell the Doctor bring some Denebian Brandy.  I’m ever so parched.”

A chime, different from Cal’s ringtone, sounds throughout the cell.  

Cal waves a hand, and a screen appears before her face. Two blips appear, showing the arrival of two ships in orbit.

“Okay, that’s a bit odd,” she says, puzzled.  “I was expecting one ship, not two.  River, I need to go deal with this.  Please try to relax.   We’ll have this sorted soon.”

“I can’t go far, can I?”

Cal fades away, and River putters agitatedly around cell for a minute before pulling up a console of her own.

On a split screen, she can see Cal and what appears to be a Sontaran, arguing.

“Oh, this could be interesting.”  She pulls up the only chair in the cell, and listens intently.

She turns up the sound.

River’s cell shakes, as the Sontaran fires their weapon at the planet.

“Stop!  We’re not a military base!  We’re a Library!”

“Silence, boy.  Your lies will not prevent us from taking our prize.”

Lights flash as the secondary wave reaches the planet surface. The console that River is watching lights up with damage assessments.  The shield is nearing failure, and the Main computer is critical. Red lights light up the displays, as environmental, repair, and other systems computer systems die. One screen notes that the Flesh Bank flesh suspension is failing, and that MedTank 1 function is critical.

The ship which arrived with the Sontarans also joins the conversation.

“Sontaran ship, this is Lux Corporate vessel Umbra. Stand down!  You are damaging the Lux property.  Our lawyers will be contacting your high command about this tremendous breach of our personal property rights.”

“Are these ‘lawyers’ your foot soldiers?  Let them disembark on the planet surface, and we will disembowel them in glorious battle,” responds Commander Trank.

“They . . . They are not here.  They’re at Lux headquarters, on the fourth planet in this system,” responds the man’s voice.

“They are too far away to stop us from taking our prize. Your puny ship is inadequately armed to give us a decent fight!” said the Sontaran Commander, salivating at the thought of battle, “We will destroy you as a lesson to these ‘lawyers’ that they cannot win against the superior might of Sontar.”

“Snahh, discontinue the attack on the planet, and target the new vessel.  You may return to the planetary assault when it is destroyed.”

“But it’s my turn!” complains Snahp.

“Do not question my authority in the presence of primitives!” orders Commander Trank.

The overpowered weapon begins to charge.  

As it fires, a third ship appears, shimmering into position, rather than arriving.

The two ships are uncomfortably close, and the smaller ship’s bearing brings it on a collision course with the Sontaran vessel.

The new ship, Hummingbird, scrapes upside-down along the base of the Sontaran vessel, and catches on the weapon.   The Sontaran vessel, thrown off course by the collision, fires its weapon but now creates a mere glancing blow on the intended target.

“Arrgghhh!  My head! That is so wrong!  Stupid Osmic Generator.  I need another way to time travel!” complains Clyde, as the ‘Hummingbird’ groans its own protest of its treatment.

The Lux Corp ship is also transmitting, speaking over Clyde’s complaints, “Library central, we’ve sustained heavy damage to our environmental and propulsion systems.  Our shields have failed.  We have no choice but to bring the ship down.”

River, back in her cell, is amused at the goings on.

A buzzing sound starts gnawing at her consciousness. Gradually, small areas of her cell start to lose their integrity, and erase away block by block, pixel by pixel, until all that is left is a black, wireframe of the borders that originally stood there.

River throws a shoe at one of the holes.  Only the heel arrives at the other side.  

River is no longer amused.

Waving a hand above the display, its content changes. Swaths of red show where the data core is mercilessly wiped by the weapon’s discharge.  One more hit from the Sontaran wave weapon, and the entire core will be wiped clean.

The disruption is gnawing at the section of the drive that houses the reality of her cell.  She’s locked in, and she can’t escape the disruption.  

The holes are getting larger.

“Cal, let me out!” she demands.

“I know, River.  I’m dealing with it!” Cal explains, and the audio is abruptly turned off.  

The Lux vessel falls gracelessly to the planet surface.  Its hull breaks open as it strikes a replica of the Temple of Athena Nike in Mythology and Folklore.

The Sontaran ship and the Hummingbird are locked together, like an eagle and its songbird prey.  They plummet to the surface, breaking apart from each other moments before impact.  The landing rockets fire, and both ships land roughly, but undamaged, in Military Science.

The initial discharge of the weapon is dissipated, and the holes in River’s cell stop growing.  If she still breathed, she would sigh in relief.  

“That was very exciting.  But now, it’s boring again. I need to get out of here!”

River looks at the screen, where Cal is occupied surveying the damage.

Cal checks her screens, scrolling through the locations where all the spaceships have landed.

A moment later, Cal disappears.  

River wanders to the cell door.  A hole has conveniently developed over the cell door lock.  She glances back at the screen, where Cal can be seen dealing with the damage to the other realities.  

“Good,” says River, “Stay busy, Cal.  I’m going to go for a little stroll!”

She passes into the virtual cell block, and saunters away, free again.

[flirtingwithdanger-dw]

Flirting With Danger - Episode 1 - All that Remains Part 1

The biggest Library in the universe has been abandoned to the Vashta Nerada, creatures that melt the flesh of those they encounter.  Can Professor River Song overcome her rage at being abandoned, and save the unexpected visitors from their fate?

  “I am not a thief.  It’s all about your point of view!”

The darkness lit up as the charge slid along the periphery of the shield.  A full-on hit would have taken out the shield on his tiny craft.

A short song that sounds like it’s played on a child’s xylophone plays throughout the cabin.

“Shields down 90%,” announced the AI in his ship.

Clyde runs his hand through his hair, nervously, “So I have 10% remaining.  Isn’t that the important part? Tell me the important part!”

The song plays again.

“Shield power remaining is 10%.  The engines have overheated. Hummingbird is now operating on inertia.”

“How soon before they’ll restart?”

“30 seconds remain before the engines will restart.”

“That’s not good.”

He breaks into a toothy grin, “But that hasn’t stopped me before!”  

His grandiose sweeping gesture fires a docking rocket, banking his craft slightly to port.

“Argh!  I have to stop doing that!”

Another large charge slid by, just where his ship had been.

“Or not!”

He cleared his throat, opened the comm channel, and began his taunt, “You potatoes couldn’t hit the side of a barn.”

“This ‘barn’ you speak of is not our target,” informs the voice of his attacker. “Your engines are stalled.  You can no longer avoid your fate.”

“How typically Sontaran, Commander Trank,” says Clyde.

“Flattery will not save you, thief.”

“I keep telling you I’m not a thief”

“Return our Osmic Generator and we will make your death swift.”

Clyde spins in his chair and runs back to a device in the compartment behind him, still arguing with the Sontarans as he goes.  

He taps a display showing a scale from red to blue. The lights are in the red zone, but they’re slowly lighting up toward the blue.  He needs to keep them talking.  

“And if I don’t return it my death will be what, less swift? You keep saying that, but you haven’t caught me yet.”

“It is true you have been unusually lucky in escaping us for so long.  Your luck will not last!”

“Now you’re flattering me.  I didn’t think Sontarans believed in luck.  Look, Commander, the Osmic Generator is mine now. The 10th Battle Fleet abandoned it on a low technology world, and left it for generations.”

“We are not the 10th battle fleet.  We are the 7th Technology Battalion.”

“That’s right, you’re Sontaran geeks! I didn’t know such a thing existed. I thought you were all battle-hardened thugs, not wimpy little geeks!”

“Commander, we must destroy him,” interrupts one of the junior Sontarans.

“No, Snahh, we need to retrieve the Osmic Generator. Then we can destroy him,” concludes the identical junior Sontaran in the jump seat next to him.

The commander ignores his bickering comrades.  He addresses Clyde, “Our orders were to retrieve the advanced technology from you filthy primitives or destroy it,” announced his comm system.  “You took it before we could return it to Sontar.”

Clyde’s cool demeanor gathers an edge of anger.  “I took it before someone else ‘acquired’ it. You left a technology that can blow a hole in time and space unguarded on a ‘primative’ planet!”

Snahh interrupts, “The Doctor forced us to retreat and leave it behind.  It is his doing!”

“Yes, it is the Doctor’s fault that this technology was on your planet,” continues Snahp, finding someone to argue with other than his clone brother.    

“If the Doctor thinks you shouldn’t have it, I think you shouldn’t have it.  Some very bad people were very close to getting their hooks in it.”

“We know of no sentient beings on your planet with that type of appendage,” interjects Snahp, before his brother can speak.

“There are no sentient beings on his planet,” adds Snahh, one upping his brother.

They laugh, in a very Sontaran fashion, at their own humor.

“Nonetheless, the device is mine now, and I’m going to find the one person in the Universe who can properly dispose of it.”

“We are the rightful owners of the device,” asserts Commander Trank.

“Let me introduce you to the old Earth tradition of ‘Finders, Keepers, Losers, Weepers.’  The Doctor can destroy it, once and for all.”

“We will not give the Doctor the satisfaction of destroying the device.  You have left us no choice but to obliterate both you and the device.”

Snapping the outbound comm off, Clyde mutters, “Oh, that’s not good. I was sort of hoping that you’d want it more than you want to destroy it.”

“We cannot return to Sontar without it or proof of its destruction,” says Snahp.

“The honor of our clone batch has been soiled, and we must make amends,” says Snahh.

“Commander, the Omega Wave weapon is charged,” says Snahp. “I am ready to fire on your orders.”

“It is I who will fire the weapon.”

“No, that honor is mine.”

Commander Trank speaks over the bickering junior Sontarans, the Sontaran equivalent of an eye roll barely perceptible in his tone, “Human scum, you are about to be annihilated by the greatest weapon ever created by Sontar.  We will demonstrate, and you will have one final chance to return the Generator. Snahh, fire the weapon at that asteroid.”

The Sontaran ship lit up, spitting a bolt energy toward a large asteroid nearby.  It crackled, then broke apart under the onslaught.  

A secondary wave shoves asteroids on the vicinity like billiards on a new trajectory away from the point of impact.

Clyde turns the Comm back on, “Wow.  Is that what that ugly bump on your ship is for?  I didn’t take you guys seriously.  I gotta say that’s a pretty impressive weapon you’ve got there. What was that, anyway?”

Clyde jumps back into the control seat for his craft. He busily adjusts the settings on his console.  The countdown continues.

“This is the Omega Wave weapon, developed by the Technicians of the 7th Technology Battalion.  It obliterates the strongest of enemy shields.  The wave that follows wave destroys all computerized equipment.  Any vessel surviving the initial demolition will be rendered helpless, with life support system terminated.”

“You mean until the internal atmosphere is spent.  That’s pretty cold.”

“Yes, stupid human, in space, temperatures will also drop until the enemy is frozen,” says Snahh.

The commander regains control of the conversation, “This is your last opportunity to surrender the device before your short and painful death at the mercy of the Omega Wave.”

“That was very convincing . . . Still going with ‘no’.”

Clyde feverishly pushes buttons.  The countdown continues.  Will he have enough time?

“Very well.  Snahp, you may fire as soon as the weapon recharges.”

Barely a heartbeat later, the small Sontaran ship lights up, and a wave slithers its way from the hull of their ship, toward the small vessel.  On the impact path, small asteroids explode.

Inside Clyde’s ship, the song plays again.

“I’m busy!” he exclaims, as he snaps off a switch on the console.  

He watches as a large asteroid, nudged out its regular trajectory by the preceding show of strength, passes before the smaller vessel just before the bolt arrives.  

“No, no, no!  This can’t be good!”

The display next to the countdown clock shows the rock approaching his ship.   If by some chance the weapon misses him, his ship will be crushed by the giant rock.

“The thief’s ship will be obliterated,” announces Snahh gleefully.

The screen shows an explosion of fragmented rock and ice, and the ship is obscured by a cloud of particles.  A bright light erupts from cloud, signaling the arrival of the wave at its target.

“Snahp – scan the target area for life signs.”

“Commander, no life signs indicated at target ship.”

“As should be expected.  The Omega Wave is invincible.  Another glory for Sontar.  Snahh - do you detect Osmic particles?”

Snahh says, “Osmic particles detected.  The Osmic core has been breached.  The device is destroyed.”

“Excellent.”

Snahp interjects, “Commander, long range sensors indicate that this system’s third planet is armed with a triple grid security shield and a Sentry Moon.”

“Sentry Moon?  That type of armament is only used on the most dangerous military installations and penal facilities!  With our new weapon, we can secure this prize for Sontar.  Our honor will be restored.  The thief is finished.  Set course for this,” looks at his console, “’Li-bra-ry’ immediately!”

The ship swings away from its victim, intent on its new quarry.