Nothing But Blue Sky

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Thanks to those who've given me reviews for 'Harmonica' - it's spurred me on to put some real effort into this longer, more involved story.

This is inspired by several episodes of the show itself, as well as a lot of other sources - Philip K Dick, The Matrix, the Red Dwarf 'Better Than Life' episode & novelisation and a hefty chunk of Life On Mars' Freaky-Deaky Paranoia. The odd behaviour of the two main characters here will be explained in time, I promise!

Oh, and in case you're interested, the patented 'Not Listening Song' in Chapter 6 is to the tune of 'La Donna e Mobile' from Rigoletto.

Enjoy!

Scribbles

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1 - Bright, Sunshiny Day

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The sun was shining. It was a beautiful day. It was always a beautiful day. He turned on the radio as he padded around the kitchen in the bright morning sunshine, wondering whether to make instant or filter coffee.

The blinking light on the answer machine caught his attention. With a brief glance skyward he pressed 'play'.

'God Dammit.'

As the machine's tape rewound, he fished a hastily dumped bowl, still half full of corn flakes, out of the sink and scraped the contents into the bin.

'One of these days, I swear to God…'

He put the empty bowl into the dishwasher and began to pour coffee into the filter. The answer machine let out a loud beep to herald the start of its messages.

'It's me,' said the machine, tinnily. 'You remember who I am, don't you?'

'How could I forget?' he told the unhearing device, scratching at the 24-hour's worth of stubble on his chin.

'You remember your old life?' The machine added, 'back with us? Please. You have to remember.'

'Not again,' he begged the ceiling with an affected boredom.

'You don't belong here,' the machine continued. 'You must know that. You really don't. The place where you are right now… it's all fake, you understand that, don't you?'

'Blah, blah, blah…' he yawned.

'We need you here,' added the machine. 'We need you both to come back. You have to come back home.'

'Do I really.'

'Please. Come back home.'

'Noooothankyouverymuch.' He jabbed at the fast forward button and the voice on the machine turned into an illegible squeak. 'Take the frigging hint, why don't you?'

He started to pour out his coffee. The machine bleeped again.

'Sorry to bother you on your day off, Doctor,' said another voice, 'but you asked me to remind you about your interview with the Mercury this morning.'

'Little more like it.' He added two sugars and a large splash of cream to the coffee.

'Oh, and the Institute called for you again, Doctor,' apologised the second voice. 'I know you said that you weren't taking their calls, but they were most insistent that I at least pass on the message that…'

'Oh, piss off!'

He hit delete.

'God, but I hate these fucking machines.'

He picked up his coffee and wandered out into the large living room. Unlike the rest of the apartment, the room was plunged into an unnatural gloom. The only lit figure was that of his flatmate, bathed in blue as he sat engrossed at the computer screen.

'Morning,' he greeted the other man.

'Hmm?' Was his only response.

'Please God tell me you haven't been at that thing all night.'

'Don't worry.' His friend didn't look up from the screen. 'Woke up about an hour ago. Couldn't get back to sleep.'

'Another headache?' He asked.

'Come to mention it.'

'You woke up with another of your headaches,' he clarified, 'and so you decided the best course of action would be to sit yourself a few inches away from a flickering VDU for the rest of the morning? Wow.' He slumped lazily into his favourite chair. 'That has to be your most ingenious plan to date. Really, it has.'

His roommate grinned but didn't respond.

'I mean, didn't you promise you'd speak to a doctor about all this?'

'I am speaking to a doctor,' his roommate replied without taking his eyes from the screen.

'A proper doctor, dummy.'

The young man finally looked up to meet eyes with him. 'I'll take time out to see a Quack the day you do.'

'Oh, come on!' He took a sip of coffee. 'I'm just not sleeping well lately, that's all. You have epilepsy.'

'You have stupid-lepsy.'

He quirked an eyebrow. 'Wildean. Seriously, I mean it. You got a serious condition there. I don't want you to go into another fit like the other day. If you upped and died on me, who would cook dinner?'

His flatmate went back to the screen. 'I'll bequeath you my recipe book.'

'Wouldn't be the same. You know I can't follow simple instructions.' He slurped at the coffee again. 'I'd end up starving to death, or live off Chinese takeout and have to be lifted out of here in a crane. So how's about you turn off that damn machine and stay alive another day, huh?'

The other man gave him an arch glance. 'You're not gonna ask what it is I've found on here that's gotten me engrossed to the point of risking my life and your dinner?'

He shrugged. 'I can take an educated guess that it's either a sudden dramatic breakthrough in the dizzyingly exciting world of Cybernetic Technology, or…'

His friend turned the computer's VDU round a little so that he could see the image that he had pulled up on it. A petite, caramel skinned young woman filled the screen, perching coquettishly on an office chair in a crisp skirt suit and beaming with full, over made-up lips and Hollywood Teeth.

'Whaddaya think?' The young man at the computer grinned with an enthusiasm that could easily match the pixellated girl on screen's.

He shook his head, biting down a smile of his own. 'I think you're pathetic, that's what I think.'

His friend raised his eyebrows innocently. 'I'll have you know this is very important research.'

'Really.'

His flatmate pointed at the logo nestled in the corner of the image. 'The Mercury's Website. This little lady is none other than Stella Munro.'

'Stella Munro?' He squinted and frowned at the image on screen. 'As in,the Stella Munro?'

His roommate nodded. 'Figured if we were giving her an interview we might as well take a look at her credentials first.' He sighed, and leaned in a little to the screen. 'And what credentials…'

'Isn't she a little young to be a Technology Editor?'

'Aren'twe a little young to be Cybernetics experts?' Retorted his friend. 'We're perfectly matched.' He sat back again and contemplated the vision in front of him. 'I think I'm going to have to Woo her,' he announced.

'"Woo"?' He snorted a laugh, inhaling a little coffee as he did so, causing him to splutter gracelessly.

'Sure, why not?'

'You're going to try to seduce our interviewer? You have got such a one track mind.'

'You're just jealous because your hands are tied.'

'No, I'm saying there's a time and a place…'

'Aw, come on!' His roommate pointed at the woman on screen. 'To fail to appreciate a Hot Tomato like that…? You'd have to be… I don't know. Blind. Or a robot, or somethin'…'

'OK,' he conceded. 'She's a beautiful girl. Happy now?' He stalled. 'Just never, ever let Mary know I said that, or she will murder me. Slowly and horribly. And then my ghost is going to come back and haunt your womanising ass, so help me…'

'My lips are sealed,' smiled his friend.

They fell into lengthy, comfortable lull in conversation.

He yawned and scratched his head, finished his coffee, got up, stretched and yawned again. 'Jesus, why can't I wake up this morning?' He turned back towards the bright kitchen. 'Need more caffeine. You?'

'Not with this headache,' called his flatmate from behind him.

'Get off the fucking computer!'

'In a minute…' His friend's voice faded and was replaced by the blaring radio's noise as he entered the kitchen.

Sleepy as he was, the sunshine streaming through the large kitchen windows injected him with newfound energy. He mouthed along with the song as he poured a second large cup of coffee.

'Here is that rainbow I've been prayin' for…'

He reached into the fridge for more cream.

'S'gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day…'

Merrily, he span on his heel to dance back to the coffee cup.

There was a brief moment of static interference on the radio.

'Look all around, there's nothing but blue sky…'

'Come on!'

He almost dropped the cup. It was the same voice! The same voice that had left the answerphone message entreating him to go back to the Institute. He darted a frightened glance towards the radio. 'What the…?'

'Come on. Snap out of it! Come back!'

What the Hell was it doing on the radio? How had it got there? He gave the radio a tentative punch.

'Look straight ahead,' reasserted the song, 'nothing but…'

'Any luck?' whispered a second voice through static.

'…Blue Sky….'

'It's no good.' The first voice was barely a breath in the static now, and breaking up. '…both comp… matose. Either… can't hear… chosen not… don't know… long…'

He punched the radio again, and this time the static completely disappeared.

'You OK?' His roommate appeared behind him. 'Look like you've seen a ghost.'

He stared at the radio for a moment longer, then shook his head briskly.

'I'm fine. Still half asleep, that's all. Mind playing tricks on me.'

'Sure.' The young man patted him on the shoulder. 'I'm gonna take a shower. See if it can clear this bad head.'

''Kay.' Still he frowned at the chirruping radio. 'But if it's still no better tomorrow I'm dragging you into the doctor's myself.'

His friend rolled his eyes as he left the kitchen. 'You worry too much, Data.'

'Indulge me, Geordi.' With an expression of deep, abiding mistrust, he reached over to the radio and switched it off quickly, as though it were burning hot. 'I'm only human.'