"Things They Talked About In The Playground" by sarah531 (R)
Fandom: Doctor Who
Pairing: Amy Pond/Rory Williams
Length: 6753 words
Author on LJ: sarah531
Author Website: Quite Unlikely
Why this must be read: This isn't an easy fic to read (trigger warnings abound, check the author's note at the top), but it's well worth the investment. Following Kovarian and the Silence as the take and hold an unknowing Amy captive, this fic is creepy, detached, and self-aware in all the right ways. Small details add up to worldbuilding that fits in perfectly with canon--not just Moffat-era but RTD as well--and Amy's strength and fire are on full display here. The last section, with River, made me gasp.
UC: SELECTION OF SUITABLE CANDIDATES
The Doctor's home planet, in a sense, is Earth- this was established some time ago. It is from this small and backwards cesspool that he collects his closest friends. Known to us at the time of writing:
Sarah Jane Smith- High threat level.
Martha Jones -High threat level.
Mickey Smith -High threat level.
Dorothy McShane- Medium threat level
Liz Shaw-Medium threat level
Rory Williams- Medium threat level
Amelia Pond - Medium threat level
Josephine Jones -Low threat level.
Wilfred Mott -Low threat level.
Records also show a CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS -very high threat level. (NB. The use of Harkness's offspring for the project was in the early stages seriously considered, but rejected due to him managing to kill most of them himself.)
Of the selected human candidates, we narrowed our choices down to those of a childbearing age. For the greatest psychological impact, we required the following:
-A person or persons whom the Doctor has a great desire to protect.
-A person or persons who are vulnerable/unlikely to have the ability to fight back
-A person or persons who will suffer from the loss of their infant (NB personal contact between Candidate and Agent must be kept to an absolute MINIMUM and no Agent should approach Candiate unarmed.)
Most importantly - A person or persons who will concieve a child while in the time-space vortex. Taking into account a) the reproductive methods of humans and b) the aforementioned psychological impact, the choice came down to either Mickey Smith/Martha Jones, or Rory Williams/Amy Pond. Looking carefully at their relationships with the Doctor and the abilities of the parents, we eventually chose the Williams-Pond combination- the mother has some extremely interesting skills regarding the nature of Time and Memory, and the father is an almost unique specimen of survival against all odds.
It is time for Phase Two.
*
UC: OBSERVING CANDIDATES
(For easier record-keeping, the Candidates will be referred to as 'A'/'AP' and 'R'.)
Time is constantly in flux, and although the Silence are spread throughout all Earth's history it is VITAL that history does, in this case, proceed as we know it does. Namely, A and R begin a relationship which leads to them consummating their marriage aboard the TARDIS. While it has been suggested that we just 'leave them to it', I think we must be in contant guard that nothing destroys this timeline as we know it. It has already been tampered with (the restoration of A's parents, the loss and then restoration of R.) When the Doctor is involved, nothing goes as planned.
A moves to Leadworth, England at the age of four- this is a constant in all timelines. There she meets R. And vitally, at the age of seven she meets the Doctor. Years later she is accepted as companion.
She is roughy twenty-one at this point. As an interesting side-note, she did attempt to 'bed' the Doctor shortly before her wedding: our agents on the scene witnessed this from a wardrobe. Though the idea of using the Doctor's own child against him is a glorious thought, it is not to be, as the Doctor rebuffed her and has done so in all timelines. (Even, interestingly, in the briefly seen one where R never existed.) A then goes on to marry R and on their wedding night, in the Doctor's ship, they concieve a child. It is our job to take the mother, to place her consiousness- her 'soul', as Manton would have it- in a Flesh body, and leave the child to grow inside the 'real' A.
*
UC: Transcript of capture of A.P.
[As Silence forgo individual names, I refer to them as "One" and "Two"]
AP: Where am I? What have you done? Where's my husband and where's the Doctor?
ONE: Neither can help you now.
AP: What the [Earth slang I do not recognise] are you? Let go of me!
TWO: You are with child. The child is ours. That means you are ours.
AP: What? I'm pregnant? Let me go! Where's Rory?
ONE: He will not remember this. You will not remember this.
AP: Let me go!
ONE: If you continue to struggle, you and your child shall die.
AP: Yeah, you know what, me and my child died once before, and it wasn't even real, it was a dream. You're a dream, aren't you? Nothing as ugly as you could exist in real life!
AP sedated. Record ends.
Things They Talked About In The Playground
Pairing: Amy Pond/Rory Williams
Length: 6753 words
Author on LJ: sarah531
Author Website: Quite Unlikely
Why this must be read: This isn't an easy fic to read (trigger warnings abound, check the author's note at the top), but it's well worth the investment. Following Kovarian and the Silence as the take and hold an unknowing Amy captive, this fic is creepy, detached, and self-aware in all the right ways. Small details add up to worldbuilding that fits in perfectly with canon--not just Moffat-era but RTD as well--and Amy's strength and fire are on full display here. The last section, with River, made me gasp.
UC: SELECTION OF SUITABLE CANDIDATES
The Doctor's home planet, in a sense, is Earth- this was established some time ago. It is from this small and backwards cesspool that he collects his closest friends. Known to us at the time of writing:
Sarah Jane Smith- High threat level.
Martha Jones -High threat level.
Mickey Smith -High threat level.
Dorothy McShane- Medium threat level
Liz Shaw-Medium threat level
Rory Williams- Medium threat level
Amelia Pond - Medium threat level
Josephine Jones -Low threat level.
Wilfred Mott -Low threat level.
Records also show a CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS -very high threat level. (NB. The use of Harkness's offspring for the project was in the early stages seriously considered, but rejected due to him managing to kill most of them himself.)
Of the selected human candidates, we narrowed our choices down to those of a childbearing age. For the greatest psychological impact, we required the following:
-A person or persons whom the Doctor has a great desire to protect.
-A person or persons who are vulnerable/unlikely to have the ability to fight back
-A person or persons who will suffer from the loss of their infant (NB personal contact between Candidate and Agent must be kept to an absolute MINIMUM and no Agent should approach Candiate unarmed.)
Most importantly - A person or persons who will concieve a child while in the time-space vortex. Taking into account a) the reproductive methods of humans and b) the aforementioned psychological impact, the choice came down to either Mickey Smith/Martha Jones, or Rory Williams/Amy Pond. Looking carefully at their relationships with the Doctor and the abilities of the parents, we eventually chose the Williams-Pond combination- the mother has some extremely interesting skills regarding the nature of Time and Memory, and the father is an almost unique specimen of survival against all odds.
It is time for Phase Two.
*
UC: OBSERVING CANDIDATES
(For easier record-keeping, the Candidates will be referred to as 'A'/'AP' and 'R'.)
Time is constantly in flux, and although the Silence are spread throughout all Earth's history it is VITAL that history does, in this case, proceed as we know it does. Namely, A and R begin a relationship which leads to them consummating their marriage aboard the TARDIS. While it has been suggested that we just 'leave them to it', I think we must be in contant guard that nothing destroys this timeline as we know it. It has already been tampered with (the restoration of A's parents, the loss and then restoration of R.) When the Doctor is involved, nothing goes as planned.
A moves to Leadworth, England at the age of four- this is a constant in all timelines. There she meets R. And vitally, at the age of seven she meets the Doctor. Years later she is accepted as companion.
She is roughy twenty-one at this point. As an interesting side-note, she did attempt to 'bed' the Doctor shortly before her wedding: our agents on the scene witnessed this from a wardrobe. Though the idea of using the Doctor's own child against him is a glorious thought, it is not to be, as the Doctor rebuffed her and has done so in all timelines. (Even, interestingly, in the briefly seen one where R never existed.) A then goes on to marry R and on their wedding night, in the Doctor's ship, they concieve a child. It is our job to take the mother, to place her consiousness- her 'soul', as Manton would have it- in a Flesh body, and leave the child to grow inside the 'real' A.
*
UC: Transcript of capture of A.P.
[As Silence forgo individual names, I refer to them as "One" and "Two"]
AP: Where am I? What have you done? Where's my husband and where's the Doctor?
ONE: Neither can help you now.
AP: What the [Earth slang I do not recognise] are you? Let go of me!
TWO: You are with child. The child is ours. That means you are ours.
AP: What? I'm pregnant? Let me go! Where's Rory?
ONE: He will not remember this. You will not remember this.
AP: Let me go!
ONE: If you continue to struggle, you and your child shall die.
AP: Yeah, you know what, me and my child died once before, and it wasn't even real, it was a dream. You're a dream, aren't you? Nothing as ugly as you could exist in real life!
AP sedated. Record ends.
Things They Talked About In The Playground