Saturday 12 December 2015

The Ben Chatham 10th Anniversary Special: "THE TWO BENS" Prologue



OK people. Its ten years since Ben Chatham first appeared. His first ever story was the alternate "The Christmas Invasion" which appeared at Christmas time, 2005. Its been a long journey since then. Originally Ben became a companion to the 10th Doctor and Rose Tyler, who became romantically attached to Ben. Later he travelled with the Doctor and Martha Jones. Eventually Ben left the TARDIS team for his own spin off series, the first of which was "Operation Delta". He gradually gained his own team: Corinne Shaw, Paul Farraday, Katie Ryan, Kyle Scott, Shakey Jake and others.

Now its time to celebrate! With the 9th series of Doctor Who over its now time for the 10th anniversary Ben Chatham special. This will see Ben face his most dangerous enemy to date. Its an epic that will see not just the earth in danger, not just the universe in danger but infinite reality itself under threat. So here is the prologue:

"THE TWO BENS"

PROLOGUE


Ben Chatham sat in the corner of the downstairs bar of the Blue Angel jazz cafe in Cambridge, swirling a dry martini round and round in the glass. The lights were dim and a small jazz combo were playing "One For My Baby (And One More For the Road)". Ben knocked back the martini and gestured to the young barman to come over:
"Bring me an absinthe please Kian. And make sure that the water you use is ice cold", Ben said. He gazed longingly at the barman's pert buttocks as the latter went to prepare the drink. The barman turned round and caught Ben's stare, giving hin a coquettish smile. He slowly poured the water over the burning sugar lump and into the absinthe, then took it over to Ben.
"I hope you enjoy it. By the way, is there anything else I can do for you sir, later I mean. All the staff here provide a full service, if you catch my drift."
Ben was about to reply when Katie Ryan came flouncing through the door of the bar. She saw Ben sitting at the corner table and stormed over:
"Ben we've been looking for you everywhere. Why the hell did you leave your phone behind at the apartment. I've been round the Mermaid, the Three Gowns and Twisters. Kyle and Luigi are searching the bars by the river. You're damned irresponsible Ben."
Ben mouthed "sorry about this" silently to Kian, who tactfully withdrew, then stared at his absinthe:
"Look I'm sorry Katie, ok. I just needed some time to myself. Its coming up to Christmas and look at my life. I mean look at it really. You lot will go swanning off to see your relatives while I'm facing a choice between Christmas alone or Christmas with my boring parents, which would include my father lecturing me about my divorce. I feel completely hollow inside Katie. Life is passing me by."
"Ben we don't have time to mull over the state of your life. While you've been sitting in this dreary hole an emergency has cropped up. Paul and Corinne have called an urgent meeting . They're at the apartment now. Its serious Ben."
Ben stared at Kian, who gave him a seductive glance:
"Oh for pity's sake, can't it wait Katie? Its late. Furthermore this place is not a 'dreary hole', its a sophisticated jazz club."
Katie noticed Kian gazing at Ben:
"Hey, that barman's giving you the eye."
Ben sipped his absinthe:
"I know. The staff here provide special discreet services."
Katie snatched the absinthe out of Ben's hand glared at him:
"Ben you need to damn well pull yourself together. You need saving from yourself. Sitting here drinking yourself into a stupor and eyeing up trade like an old fruit, what the hell has happened to you? Come on."
"Ok ok. Look I need to use the gentleman's room then I'll come with you."

Ben walked through the bar, as the jazz band played "The Thrill is Gone", and through to the corridor which led to the toilets. He could hear moaning sounds from the rooms upstairs as one of the bar staff , holding a tray of drinks, followed behind Ben with a smart looking gentleman and headed up the staircase. As Ben entered the gents he felt a strange swirling sensation, as if he were falling down a steep slope. He fell to his knees and as he did so a vision appeared before him of a humanoid figure walking from one of the cubicles towards him. The figure was dark and hazy, yet it slowly became more defined. Ben was shocked to see who it was. It was Clara Oswald.
"Ben. Please don't be afraid", Clara said. Ben rubbed his hand over his eyes:
"Hey this can't be happening.... must be the absinthe. You're currently travelling through time with an immortal woman in a stolen TARDIS. The Doctor told me in his last text."
"Ben this is really happening. Look there isn't much time. I have to go as our TARDIS is locked in a cross-dimensional void interface loop. I wish I could stay longer Ben as... as I think I'm falling in love with you... I'm sorry Ben I just had to tell you this. I've never felt like this before and I've only just seen you. But I've got to tell you that you and everyone on earth is in great danger. He is coming and he won't be alone. He is prepared to risk fracturing the whole of reality and you've got to stop him. Ben you've got to stop hi.......mmmmm............"
In a whoosh Clara was dragged back into the interface loop and disappeared.

Ben staggered back into the bar and went up to Kian:
"I'd like a glass of ice cold water please".
Kian gave him a cheeky smile and handed him the water. Ben threw it over himself. He shook his head, the water flying from his luscious hair:
"Thats better. I'm refreshed. Come on Katie, we've work to do."

COMING SOON:

EPISODE ONE: REALITY IMPLODES

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

How could the Doctor text Ben about Clara when he shouldn't even remember that she exists?

sparacus said...

He sent the text before his memory was wiped.

Youth of Australia said...

That doesn't make sense. How could he text Ben about something he didn't know before his memory was wiped, and didn't know afterwards? And why would Clara - who has shown only interest in black men - obsess over Ben when she maintains to her dying breath Danny Pink was her one true love?

You really need to start paying attention.

sparacus said...

There was time between the Doctor knowing the info and his memory being wiped. Moreover Clara has a range of taste in men. She has had a period of mourning for Danny and is now moving on.

Youth of Australia said...

No there wasn't. The Doctor has his memory wiped. Then, while he was mind-wiped, Clara went off with Ashilder in a TARDIS. He had no idea about that. He was completely unaware of any of that.

That's in the episode. You have got it wrong. Why else do people keep pointing it out?

And Series 9 showed that not only was Clara NOT moving on from Danny, given her increasingly-suicidal behavior, she had also decided she was into women. Hence the repeated reference to her having a sexual relationship with Jane Austen.

And even if, for some reason, Clara was completely different to how we saw her on TV, why would she blurt out she loves Ben instead of... I dunno, travelling to Cambridge and meeting him face to face?

The only way this could be even halfway credible is if Clara - who is known as a compulsive liar - told Ben she loved him for no reason other than to try and manipulate him into getting off his arse and doing something. Her cold-blooded manipulation of someone she's only met once, doesn't fancy or care about rings far closer to what was actually on TV than what's written here.