"Price Worth Paying" part 3

OK folks, here is part 3:

"Price Worth Paying": Part 3

After a sleepless night in an uncomfortable bed with lumpy pillows, Charles sets out for the Zentar Research Centre. Arriving at the gates, he is met by several private security guards who escort him to Walker's office. Inside he is met by a firm faced man in a business suit with short dark hair.
"Right Mr Furness, lets get several things clear. Firstly I'm agreeing to talk to you purely as a gesture of goodwill. I don't like your organisation or your boss however I am willing to engage in dialogue. I do want to make it clear that I regard this interview as pointless."
Charles senses a deliberate attempt to intimidate him:
"Mr Walker. Can you tell me why one of your scientists was shot here" he asks. Walker scowls:
"Haven't they briefed you. Oh, looking at you though you must be new. Just out of university I presume."
"Just answer the question please" Charles replies.
"A militant splinter group of that Greenpeace lot broke into this Centre and shot Dr Paul Sansom. Its as simple as that. The two people responsible are in Leicester nick awaiting trail. Typical crusty types, one an anti-hunt protester as well."
Charles senses elusiveness:"But they had no motive for murder. And they don't sound violent types" he states.
"Right thats it, interview over. Now kindly leave the premesis" Waker tersely replies.

Charles leaves and gets the bus to Leicester where he goes to the prison and finds out visiting times. He then goes to the Bread & Roses student cafe for an organic coffee and visits two second hand bookshops before going back to the prison. As he sits in the visitor room, a dishevelled man with lots of facial piercings and platted hair arrives.
"Hello, I'm Charles Furness. You must be Nigel Dearham".
"Ere I 'ate that name. I'm Logga" the man states. Charles decides to humour him.
"Ok Logga. I suppose it is a name with a more earthy ring to it than Nigel." The man stares.
"So Logga. Can you tell me what happened the night Paul Sansom was shot?"
"We ain't guilty. Me and Bez we like wanted to see what was really going on in that lab. We 'eard that they were experimentin' on animals and tryin' to develop some kind of GM crop that could grow in winter. They were feeding it to monkeys to see if it hurt 'em. Sick bastards. Anyroad, we gets in an as we searched around we hears a shot. Then as we are tryin' to escape security nab us." Charles flicks his dark hair out of his eyes:
"Are you sure you didn't do it?"
"Look mate are you deaf or summat. Anyway why would we want to kill our inside contact?"
"What?"
"Sansom was one of us. He was the one passed us the info about the experiments. He rekoned that the crops wern't safe. That the monkeys went mad when it was fed to 'em and clawed each other up".

Charles leaves and gets the bus back to Bosworth. He has dinner with Genna in the Black Swan.
"So how was your day Charles?" she asks.
"Concerning. I think that the Zentar Corporation have had one of their own staff killed in order to stop them blowing the whistle on the side effects of their products." Genna strokes his long hair:#"Poor Charles. How about we order some wine? *strokes his leg*" Charles feels uneasy and tears well up:
"Genna you need to know that I'm gay before you get the wrong idea". Genna looks surprised but composes herself:
"Oh... oh well I'm pleased you told me. Do you have a man in your life?" Charles thinks of Chris and holds back the tears:
"At uni there was someone. But he wasn't intetrested. I'm alone on an Island of dry sand........."

............ to be continued.

"Price Worth Paying" Part 2

OK, here is the second part of this story folks:

"PRICE WORTH PAYING": Part 2

Charles is sitting quietly in the first class compartment of the train, sipping tea and reading Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring'. His mind keeps wandering away from the book and he puts it down and takes a pen and paper out of his leather case. He begins to write a few lines of verse, not noticing a young woman enter the carriage.
"Excuse me, would you mind moving your case so that I can sit on that seat" she asks him. Charles doesn't hear her.
"Could you move your case?" she repeats sharply. Charles looks up.
"Sorry. I was lost upon the sea of my own thoughts". He moves his case and she sits down. Charles continues to write.
"I'm sorry for being sharp just then. Are you travelling far?" the girl asks. Charles flicks his long dark hair out of his dreampool eyes:
"Only to the land of silent melancholy" he replies. The girl smiles:
"What a sad thing to say. What do you do for a living?"
"I've just got a job with an environmental organisation called Doomwatch. I graduated last summer" Charles replies.
"Oh me too. My name is Genna Miles. I've a first in History from Durham. I've just been appointed as site historical advisor at Bosworth Battlefield Centre in Leicestershire."
Charles' interest picks up and he puts down his pen:
"Hey thats where I'm going to, Bosworth. I'm Charles Furness. I'm looking into the activities of the Zentar Research Corporation. Mind you I find your job very interesting . My mother always said that there is Plantagenet blood in our family line and so I've always had an interest in Richard III". Genna smiles:
"Pleased to meet you then Charles. I've heard about this Zentar Corporation actually. They tried to buy some land on the battlefield site so that they could build all on it, however Leicestershire Council stopped them."
"Do you know anywhere in Bosworth where I could stay" Charles asks."Well I'm staying temporarily in the Black Swan until I can find somewhere permanent. Why not see if they have more rooms?" Genna replies.

Meanwhile, back at Doomwatch HQ in London Peter and Steve are having another altercation:
"Look you can't just send that boy to deal with this on his own Peter. Its too serious." Ashton-Scott frowns:
"The decision has been made Steve. The nuclear issue takes precedence."
"You're just guilty because your brother worked at Aldermaston!" Steve Allen shouts. Ashton-Scott stands up and glares at him:
"How dare you. You have no damn idea about my family and the sacrifices I made for my principles. When I started going on the Aldermaston protest marches my brother and father severed all contact with me."As he speaks, Abby Hanson enters the office, accompanied by Brian Eddows.
"Whats all this arguing? Can't you two just have a civil conversation without all this macho posturing?" Abby states.
"Macho? Him? Give me a break" Steve replies.
"Shut it Steve" Abby shouts, slaming a file down on the table, "I've just heard that the Dungeness leak was a false alarm. Therefore we can concentrate on this new case" she continues. "Good. So can I go up to Bosworth now? " Steve asks.
"No, Abby can. You can visit the testing site in Suffolk" Peter states.

Meanwhile Charles and Genna have checked into the Black Swan and are enjoying a pub salad and a pint. Charles throws his long hair over his shoulders. Genna feels deeply attracted to him.
"So can you tell me anything else about this Zentar Corporation?" he asks
Its run by a self-made millionaire, Sir Willie Walker. They're a nasty bunch; think the planning laws don't apply to them. I'd watch out though as he's a big friend of Richard Bigjack." Genna replies, munching a lettuce leaf.
"The rightwing newspaper columninst?" Charles asks.
"Yes. The one who's always going on about the EU and feral yobs in the Daily Post. He may turn his sights on your Doomwatch. He hates environmentalists, thinks they're a bunch of fifth columnists for Brussels."
Charles frowns:"Oh no, what have I got myself into. I don't need this hassle after all I've been through this last year."........

..... to be continued.

Doomwatch DVD recommendations:

TOP= Two episodes from the classic series ie "The Plastic Eaters" & "Tomorrow the Rat".

BOTTOM: The movie starring Ian Bannen.

"DOOMWATCH 2010": "Price Worth Paying"

The New Team:

Dr Peter Ashton-Scott = team leader. An experienced chemist and ecologist from Cambridge university who left academia to set up a self-sufficient community in the hebrides. Coaxed out of retirement by Allen.

Steve Allen: Environmental campaigner, idealist and disillusioned science advisor to the government.

Charles Furness: Young, attractive Oxford graduate and brilliant chemist and technician. Struggling to accept his sexuality.

Abby Hanson: Feisty twenty-something geologist and ecologist. Gave up teaching to join the team.

Brian Eddows: Sixty-something lab technician. An ex-prisoner seeking a new life and redemption from his crimes.



OK folks, here is the first part of a brand new Doomwatch story with a new team:

"DOOMWATCH 2010: Price Worth Paying" : Part 1


Winter in Suffolk. The cold February wind blows snow across the farmyard as Brian Coley goes out to feed his pigs. He hasn’t felt well for days and he had a strange headache that never seemed to go away. As he reaches the pigsties Brian spots an axe in the yard that he had been using to chop logs earlier in the day. A strange feeling of rage hits him, as if all the world was his enemy and out to destroy him. He grabs the axe and swings it around. As he does so Stan Henson, one of his labourers emerges from the tool shed:
“You ok Brian? You look a bit stressed.”Brian swings the axe and buries it in Stan’s head. He is now foaming at the mouth. Driven by pure rage he takes up the axe and heads towards the farmhouse…….

Rural Leicestershire.In the Zentar Corporation’s Research Laboratories near Bosworth, Doctor Paul Sansom is working late. As he stands over his equipment shaking his head a figure approaches behind him. A gun is raised and then fired. Sansom falls down…..

Charles Furness was feeling very nervous as he walked into the Doomwatch Centre in London. This was his first job interview since leaving Oxford and one he was only reluctantly attending. He had left with no idea of what he wanted to do for a career other than something related to science and chemistry. Work was the last thing on his mind. All he could think about was Chris, whom he had fallen in love with during that final year amid the dreaming spires. However Chris had treated him with derision when he had told him of his feelings and was now about to get married. Charles’ confidence had been shaken and the last thing he needed was to have to get a job. However he couldn’t stand the stifling atmosphere of home any longer. As Charles enters the main office he sees two men having a florid argument. The older one sits behind a desk and has long white hair and thick glasses:
“I tell you I cannot spare you at the moment Steve, its all hands on the pump as regards the Dungeness nuclear leak” he shouts. The younger man slams his fist down on the table:
“Look this can’t just be a coincidence Peter. A spate of bizarre murders in the space of weeks and all in the vicinity of the Zentar Corporations’ experimental field of GM winter-growing crops. And now one of their scientists is murdered in his lab.”Dr Ashton Scott sighs in frustration:
“My dear man , they’ve arrested two Greenpeace activists for that. They had broken into the site. And there is not one shred of evidence to link those murders with the GM test.”

Charles clears his throat so that they notice him:
“Excuse me. I’m Charles Furness. I’m here about the job.” He flicks his luscious dark hair out of his eyes. The old man stands up:
“Ah the new boy. I’m Peter Ashton Scott and this is Steve Allen. Welcome to Doomwatch. You’re just in time in fact. Steve here thinks that theres a problem with the Zentar Corporation’s GM testing . I’m not sure I’m convinced and I can’t spare Steve at the moment so you’ve got your first case.”
“You mean I’ve got the job?” Charles asks.“Of course. You’re a brilliant chemist; first class honours from Oxford. And very attractive as well I might add”. Charles blushes:
“So what do I have to do?”
“Do you drive?”
“Yes”
“Then don’t. Too many cars on the road is one of the greatest threats to our environment. Take public transport to the Zentar Corporation’s HQ in Leicestershire and interview their Director, Andy Powell. All of the details and background info is in this file”. Peter hands the file to a puzzled Charles:
“But I’ve no idea about what to interview him about” Charles states.“That’s why I’ve given you the file. I presume your generation can still read.”

Charles leaves the building not sure whether to be pleased or not. He heads towards St Pancras and takes the first train out to Leicester.……

…… to be continued.

Eleventh Hour poll: "drivel" winning so far

This shows that polls on other Doctor Who sites may be skewed by post-broadcast euphoria . After time a more considered consensus may emerge.

The World of the Lumpen Dim

So Gordon Brown has called the election finally. I do worry about the electorate. I suspect more are interested in voting in the X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing polls than in a proper election. When I was growing up politics was discussed in the home and at school. Now I fear the masses will decide on the basis of who gives the best Piers Morgan interview or impresses Simon Cowell the most.

Audiobook recommendation: "LEVIATHAN"

I can thoroughly recommend this recent addition to the Lost Stories series from Big Finish. It has an interesting medieval setting and a plot clearly influenced by classic sci-fi films such as 'Logan's Run'. The perfect antidote to Nuwho.