OK, here is part 2 of this sci-fi mystery folks:
"FACE OF DEATH" part 2
The next day, Ben is driving Craig to the Hub in Cardiff to pick up Isobel, whom he has reluctantly agreed can stay in his flat for a short while:
"I'm not happy about this at all Craig, however I realise that you are such a depressed and negative youth that having her around might pull you out of it."
Craig hunches his shoulders in a surly manner:
"Did you mean what you said about setting us up in our own flat?"
"Well yes, in the long term. However I want to be sure that you'll stay together. She is an alien after all."
Craig is annoyed:"I love Isobel. She is my light, my hope in this dark, cold world."
He switches on his Ipod and listens to 'My Chemical Romance'.
Arriving at the Hub, Ben is whisked immediately away by Jack to the briefing room:
"Ben we have a case for you. Its a local one in Cambridge."
Ianto gives Ben the full briefing, staring longingly at Ben's lips:
"There have been a spate of murders in Cambridge, five to be precise. All the victims lived in Gladstone Street and have had their heads hacked in or removed with a cleaver. This was yesterday morning."
Ben is puzzled:
"So? A job for the police surely."
"Not any more. DNA samples from under the fingernails of of one of the victims revealed major irregularities. Whoever the killer is, they are now only partially human and part..... well alien."
Ben frowns:"An alien infection of some kind possibly. Ok, I'll drive back immediately and initiate investigations."
Arriving back at his apartment later, Ben has stopped off at the police station to requisition their info on the case. He has contacted Katie and , pouring himself a brandy and a vodka for Katie, he sits down to brief her, together with Kyle, Anselm, Craig and Isobel.
"OK team, this is our first case as a branch of Operation Delta and we need to achieve a quick resolution. So far, the only connection between the victims is that they all lived in the same street and belonged to the same amateur theatrical society. Since they didn't live in adjacent houses, I deduce that the killer has some connection with or grudge against the society."
Katie sips on her drink:
"I agree. Obviously we need to check this group out. I presume all the victims were gay men?"
Anselm frowns:
"Just because one belongs to a theatrical society does not mean that you are by definition gay."
Katie casts him an icy stare. Ben continues:
"They were of varied ages and some were women. I fear that the killer is possessed by an alien infection. If this is the case, then we need to know how far this is contageous. I fear that the whole population is at risk of being transformed into homicidal cleaver-weilding monsters..................."
..................to be continued.
Tuesday 14 October 2008
"FACE OF DEATH" : A Ben Chatham/Doctor Who film synopsis
OK, following my synopsis for a Doctor Who film, here is an idea for a Ben Chatham spin-off series movie. I've tried to combine elements of classic Who & Quatermass with some social comment on 21st century western society.
"FACE OF DEATH"
Ben Chatham is lying across his sofa in his silk dressing gown enjoying an early morning cup of Blue Ridge Columbian coffee. He is listening to Bowie's 'Heroes' album and waiting for Anselm to arrive from the airport. The latter has been away for several weeks in Germany attending a festival of Wagner operas and Ben is keen to see him again. He pours himself some more coffee and relaxes to the sound of Bowie's voice.
Meanwhile, in Gladstone Street Cambridge, the residents are waking up and Mrs Ablewhite emerges from number 22 to fetch the milk in. She is an elderly lady of 76 who in her younger years had been a minor actress. The years haven't been kind however and she heaves her aching body out of the back door, her skin haggard from a life of chain-smoking and disappointment. As she picks up the milk, a hand grabs hold of her. She shrieks as a man dressed in a long black gown and a gaudy clown mask lifts up a meat cleaver and whacks her on the head.
Hearing the shrieks, Mr Ablewhite, upstairs in bed, shouts down:
"Hey, are you alright Daphne?" He is a slim old silvery-haired former lecturer who had left his wife for Daphne when the latter was still easy on the eye. Before he can get out of bed however, the intruder enters the room and hacks him to death with the cleaver, making a mess on the sheets.
The door buzzer of Ben's apartment rings before Anselm enters. Ben leaps up and holds Anselm close:
"Its so good to see you. I've really missed you. Did you have a good flight?"Anselm kisses Ben:"It was ok. I'm rather tired though. One has missed you too Ben, here look what I've bought you."
Anselm takes out an exclusive bottle of Wurtenberg Schnapps and Ben smiles:
"We'll have that later. Bedroom first *winks*".
"Ben I'm really tired after the flight. I'd rather just relax here with you on the sofa for a while and watch a dvd or something."
Ben is irritated:"Oh come on. I haven't seen you for weeks."
However Amselm sits down and starts to pour a coffee.
"Are you seeing someone else or something? Well?"
Anselm looks up:
"Of course not. I'm just tired."
Ben frowns:
"Well I'm not happy about this Anselm. You go away for weeks to another country when you know I'm too busy to accompany you and then you return only to refuse to sleep with me. I feel that you arn't committed to this relationship."
Ben's dark eyes well up with tears and he storms out of the room.
As he does so however, the door buzzer goes again. The second visitor is Captain Jack Harkness, who sits himself down and helps himself to a cup of Ben's coffee without being asked. As Ben returns fully dressed, he stares up and grins:"Hiya Benji-boy. You look great as always."
Ben fixes him with an icy stare:
"I'm in no mood for frivolity. What is the problem?"
"Ben, I have a proposal for you, well two actually. Firstly Isobel has undergone a remarkable change over the last month. It seems that her alien physiology and psychology have adjusted to the zeitgeist of human society, at least partially. She no longer needs to live in the hub, so I'd like to bring her here."
Ben is irritated:
"I'd rather you didn't. This place is full already. It'd distract Craig."
"OK Ben, we can discuss that one later. The other matter concerns Operation Delta. We feel that there is scope to expand the organisation, have it deal nationally with matters of alien, occult or unusual phenomena deemed too peripheral to Torchwood's core work. We have discussed this with Corrine Shaw & Paul Faraday who like the idea. We want you to head the organisation and Kyle, Katie , Anselm & Craig to be involved."
Ben sips his coffee elegantly:"I'm not sure I like being fobbed off with peripheral matters."
However Anselm is more enthusiastic:"Ben this sounds intriguing. One would simply love to become more involved in all of this."
Jack grins:"Great *places hand on Anselm's knee & winks*.
Back in Gladstone Street, Jack Stubbs is leaving his house to travel to Fitzwilliam College where he works as a day porter. He goes round to the back shed to fetch his bike. As he does so, a figure emerges from the shed wearing a clown mask and knocks him to the ground. It then raises up a meat cleaver and decapitates Jack with eleven whacks............
.............. to be continued.
"FACE OF DEATH"
Ben Chatham is lying across his sofa in his silk dressing gown enjoying an early morning cup of Blue Ridge Columbian coffee. He is listening to Bowie's 'Heroes' album and waiting for Anselm to arrive from the airport. The latter has been away for several weeks in Germany attending a festival of Wagner operas and Ben is keen to see him again. He pours himself some more coffee and relaxes to the sound of Bowie's voice.
Meanwhile, in Gladstone Street Cambridge, the residents are waking up and Mrs Ablewhite emerges from number 22 to fetch the milk in. She is an elderly lady of 76 who in her younger years had been a minor actress. The years haven't been kind however and she heaves her aching body out of the back door, her skin haggard from a life of chain-smoking and disappointment. As she picks up the milk, a hand grabs hold of her. She shrieks as a man dressed in a long black gown and a gaudy clown mask lifts up a meat cleaver and whacks her on the head.
Hearing the shrieks, Mr Ablewhite, upstairs in bed, shouts down:
"Hey, are you alright Daphne?" He is a slim old silvery-haired former lecturer who had left his wife for Daphne when the latter was still easy on the eye. Before he can get out of bed however, the intruder enters the room and hacks him to death with the cleaver, making a mess on the sheets.
The door buzzer of Ben's apartment rings before Anselm enters. Ben leaps up and holds Anselm close:
"Its so good to see you. I've really missed you. Did you have a good flight?"Anselm kisses Ben:"It was ok. I'm rather tired though. One has missed you too Ben, here look what I've bought you."
Anselm takes out an exclusive bottle of Wurtenberg Schnapps and Ben smiles:
"We'll have that later. Bedroom first *winks*".
"Ben I'm really tired after the flight. I'd rather just relax here with you on the sofa for a while and watch a dvd or something."
Ben is irritated:"Oh come on. I haven't seen you for weeks."
However Amselm sits down and starts to pour a coffee.
"Are you seeing someone else or something? Well?"
Anselm looks up:
"Of course not. I'm just tired."
Ben frowns:
"Well I'm not happy about this Anselm. You go away for weeks to another country when you know I'm too busy to accompany you and then you return only to refuse to sleep with me. I feel that you arn't committed to this relationship."
Ben's dark eyes well up with tears and he storms out of the room.
As he does so however, the door buzzer goes again. The second visitor is Captain Jack Harkness, who sits himself down and helps himself to a cup of Ben's coffee without being asked. As Ben returns fully dressed, he stares up and grins:"Hiya Benji-boy. You look great as always."
Ben fixes him with an icy stare:
"I'm in no mood for frivolity. What is the problem?"
"Ben, I have a proposal for you, well two actually. Firstly Isobel has undergone a remarkable change over the last month. It seems that her alien physiology and psychology have adjusted to the zeitgeist of human society, at least partially. She no longer needs to live in the hub, so I'd like to bring her here."
Ben is irritated:
"I'd rather you didn't. This place is full already. It'd distract Craig."
"OK Ben, we can discuss that one later. The other matter concerns Operation Delta. We feel that there is scope to expand the organisation, have it deal nationally with matters of alien, occult or unusual phenomena deemed too peripheral to Torchwood's core work. We have discussed this with Corrine Shaw & Paul Faraday who like the idea. We want you to head the organisation and Kyle, Katie , Anselm & Craig to be involved."
Ben sips his coffee elegantly:"I'm not sure I like being fobbed off with peripheral matters."
However Anselm is more enthusiastic:"Ben this sounds intriguing. One would simply love to become more involved in all of this."
Jack grins:"Great *places hand on Anselm's knee & winks*.
Back in Gladstone Street, Jack Stubbs is leaving his house to travel to Fitzwilliam College where he works as a day porter. He goes round to the back shed to fetch his bike. As he does so, a figure emerges from the shed wearing a clown mask and knocks him to the ground. It then raises up a meat cleaver and decapitates Jack with eleven whacks............
.............. to be continued.
Album recommendation: Bob Dylan: "Tell Tale Signs"
The new album is out now. It features unreleased songs from the 89-2006 period, including several outakes from 'Time Out of Mind'.
The US Elections
Thankfully Obama seems to be sliding into the lead again. The thought of the Palin woman being a heartbeat away from the most powerful job in the world is just awful. Given her obvious inexperience she'd be a cypher for all the worst elements in the US right , the bible-belters & gun lobby especially.
I've no idea what a 'hockey mom' is but I don't like the sound of them. I'd guess they are the US equivalent of the kind of agressive but dim women who drive their little angels to school in massive gas-guzzlers and complain to the school if their spoilt sprogs get a ticking off.
The X Factor: the apex of televisual excrement?
Having managed to avoid this for a few weeks I was obliged to watch the latest instaulment on Saturday. I do wish the BBC would run repeats of Doctor Who against it in order to compete effectively with this rubbish. Once again it consisted of the latest selection of intellectually challenged plastic crooners spouting their sob-stories and 'performing' generic bland versions of old songs and begging the praise of Simon Cowell . I dread to think what goes through the minds of the people who enter the competition other than their desperation not to continue working in Burger King. Cowell himself was spouting his usual pompous & bitchy put-downs and convincing himself that he takes the drivel seriously. Punk rock it is not.
Sunday 12 October 2008
"NEW DAWN" Part 2
“NEW DAWN”
- continued
Meanwhile the Doctor receives a call from Ben Chatham, who is at an archaeological dig at Cerne Abbas. He informs the Doctor that Russia has launched a nuclear attack on Poland and that its all on the radio news. He asks the Doctor for help as the US may be about to retaliate and World War III begin. He also tells him that a strange light is shooting out of the Cerne Abbas chalk figure and into space.The Doctor confirms to Chuck & Jade that he thinks they are right. Meanwhile David Leader arrives on a motorbike, pursued by a police car. He claims that the establishment are after him because he fire-bombed a warehouse ‘owned by alien shape-shifters’.
The police car stops and Bill, the police chief approaches, telling them to:
“Get the hell away from this nut”. When the Doctor protests, Bill says:
“Don’t give me any of that **** boy”. However, Bill his shocked when his two policemen fade and change into reptilian aliens. They raise their weapons to execute David, however Donna throws some sand into their faces and everyone runs. As the reptilians pursue them, shooting a strange red light descends from the sky and engulfs them. The aliens vanish.Chuck explains that the earth is a living organism and that it is fighting back against the alien control force. He claims that he discovered the truth while wounded in Vietnam & being tended in a Buddhist monastery. He says that death valley is a centre for the benign earth energy.
In Cerne Abbas, Ben, Katie & Kyle are joined by Captain Jack. Having been briefed by the Doctor, he surmises that the alien mind-control machine is buried under the Cerne Abbas hill. As they examine the light, they are surrounded by aliens. They explain that they are Gantonians and that the aim is to capture earth for the Gantonian Empire. Once they have caused nuclear war on earth, they will invade and strip the planet of its resources. Ben tries to protest, but is restrained.Back in death valley, David and Jade walk away from the others trance-like and begin to kiss in the hot desert sun. Chuck explains that making love in the valley enhances the power of the earth’s energy and as David & Jade get heavy with each other, strange lights descend from the sky and a lilting music.
In Cerne Abbas, Ben jumps into the alien light and blocks it…… but is disintegrated.Breaking the light allows the earth energy to overcome the alien force. Beneith Cerne Abbas the alien machine stops and the Gantonians on earth are disintegrated. World leaders are freed from the mind grip.That evening, the Doctor , Donna & the others sit in death valley watching a massive light-show in the sky ‘the earth celebrating’ Chuck muses. There is no nuclear war and sanity is restored. Ben reappears in Cerne Abbas, having been saved my the earth’s force and he & his team celebrate.
- continued
Meanwhile the Doctor receives a call from Ben Chatham, who is at an archaeological dig at Cerne Abbas. He informs the Doctor that Russia has launched a nuclear attack on Poland and that its all on the radio news. He asks the Doctor for help as the US may be about to retaliate and World War III begin. He also tells him that a strange light is shooting out of the Cerne Abbas chalk figure and into space.The Doctor confirms to Chuck & Jade that he thinks they are right. Meanwhile David Leader arrives on a motorbike, pursued by a police car. He claims that the establishment are after him because he fire-bombed a warehouse ‘owned by alien shape-shifters’.
The police car stops and Bill, the police chief approaches, telling them to:
“Get the hell away from this nut”. When the Doctor protests, Bill says:
“Don’t give me any of that **** boy”. However, Bill his shocked when his two policemen fade and change into reptilian aliens. They raise their weapons to execute David, however Donna throws some sand into their faces and everyone runs. As the reptilians pursue them, shooting a strange red light descends from the sky and engulfs them. The aliens vanish.Chuck explains that the earth is a living organism and that it is fighting back against the alien control force. He claims that he discovered the truth while wounded in Vietnam & being tended in a Buddhist monastery. He says that death valley is a centre for the benign earth energy.
In Cerne Abbas, Ben, Katie & Kyle are joined by Captain Jack. Having been briefed by the Doctor, he surmises that the alien mind-control machine is buried under the Cerne Abbas hill. As they examine the light, they are surrounded by aliens. They explain that they are Gantonians and that the aim is to capture earth for the Gantonian Empire. Once they have caused nuclear war on earth, they will invade and strip the planet of its resources. Ben tries to protest, but is restrained.Back in death valley, David and Jade walk away from the others trance-like and begin to kiss in the hot desert sun. Chuck explains that making love in the valley enhances the power of the earth’s energy and as David & Jade get heavy with each other, strange lights descend from the sky and a lilting music.
In Cerne Abbas, Ben jumps into the alien light and blocks it…… but is disintegrated.Breaking the light allows the earth energy to overcome the alien force. Beneith Cerne Abbas the alien machine stops and the Gantonians on earth are disintegrated. World leaders are freed from the mind grip.That evening, the Doctor , Donna & the others sit in death valley watching a massive light-show in the sky ‘the earth celebrating’ Chuck muses. There is no nuclear war and sanity is restored. Ben reappears in Cerne Abbas, having been saved my the earth’s force and he & his team celebrate.
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