Anyone Out There
Dec. 17th, 2007 05:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
laliginFandom: Torchwood (shock horror!)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 463
Summary: Toshiko's quiet night in is about to get a little less quiet...
Prompt: For the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
writerinadrawer Challenge 1.02 - Duran Duran Song Titles. (I used "Anyone Out There", hence the title. ;) )
Anyone Out There
It was a dark and stormy night.
Tosh, naturally, was curled up in bed reading Mills and Boon on her laptop, with a mug of hot chocolate on the bedside table and her phone beside it, just in case she was needed. She ignored the thunder and lightning resolutely, likewise the shriek of police sirens and the yowl of a couple of angry cats somewhere outside. Then that was followed by a crash and a rattle, and she looked up from the angry confrontation on her screen (things could only end one way), wondering what the noise had been.
For a few moments there was silence, then thunder rolled and lightning flashed – but it couldn’t be; it was far too green and a few seconds later there came another flash which was definitely lightning.
Frowning, Tosh put her laptop aside and slid out of bed, pulling her dressing gown on and heading over to the window. As she pulled the curtains aside there was another flash and bang. She blinked against the aftershock of the light, then peered out of the window as best she could. She could have sworn there was movement down at street level, but it was raining so hard she couldn’t entirely be sure – and who’d be out in this weather anyway?
Despite the rain, she opened the window and was promptly hit by a gust of cold wind and water through the gaps at the sides. Shivering a little, she leaned out over the windowsill and called, “Hey! Is there anyone out there? Hello?”
When there was another flare of green light and an even bigger bang, she shielded her eyes from the glare and managed to ascertain that yes, there was someone on the street below, pacing, hunched over at the centre of the flashes. That was never good.
“What’s going on?” she yelled, and the person looked up.
Tosh recoiled with a gasp, hand over her mouth, then leapt forward again in a desperate attempt to slam the window shut, just as another flash of light exploded out from the skeletal figure on the street below. She had to shut her eyes against the brightness, ears ringing as she fumbled with the catch and hauled the window back in.
With a sigh of relief, she leant her forehead against the glass and then pulled back to close the curtains, already working out what to say to Jack when she called for backup.
She froze, staring at the reflection of the thing behind her. It had her smoking phone in one hand, and her laptop held by the screen in the other.
For a second the thing met her gaze in the glass, grinning.
And then Tosh’s eyes narrowed.
Screw backup. Nobody treated her laptop like that.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 463
Summary: Toshiko's quiet night in is about to get a little less quiet...
Prompt: For the
writerinadrawer Challenge 1.02 - Duran Duran Song Titles. (I used "Anyone Out There", hence the title. ;) )Anyone Out There
It was a dark and stormy night.
Tosh, naturally, was curled up in bed reading Mills and Boon on her laptop, with a mug of hot chocolate on the bedside table and her phone beside it, just in case she was needed. She ignored the thunder and lightning resolutely, likewise the shriek of police sirens and the yowl of a couple of angry cats somewhere outside. Then that was followed by a crash and a rattle, and she looked up from the angry confrontation on her screen (things could only end one way), wondering what the noise had been.
For a few moments there was silence, then thunder rolled and lightning flashed – but it couldn’t be; it was far too green and a few seconds later there came another flash which was definitely lightning.
Frowning, Tosh put her laptop aside and slid out of bed, pulling her dressing gown on and heading over to the window. As she pulled the curtains aside there was another flash and bang. She blinked against the aftershock of the light, then peered out of the window as best she could. She could have sworn there was movement down at street level, but it was raining so hard she couldn’t entirely be sure – and who’d be out in this weather anyway?
Despite the rain, she opened the window and was promptly hit by a gust of cold wind and water through the gaps at the sides. Shivering a little, she leaned out over the windowsill and called, “Hey! Is there anyone out there? Hello?”
When there was another flare of green light and an even bigger bang, she shielded her eyes from the glare and managed to ascertain that yes, there was someone on the street below, pacing, hunched over at the centre of the flashes. That was never good.
“What’s going on?” she yelled, and the person looked up.
Tosh recoiled with a gasp, hand over her mouth, then leapt forward again in a desperate attempt to slam the window shut, just as another flash of light exploded out from the skeletal figure on the street below. She had to shut her eyes against the brightness, ears ringing as she fumbled with the catch and hauled the window back in.
With a sigh of relief, she leant her forehead against the glass and then pulled back to close the curtains, already working out what to say to Jack when she called for backup.
She froze, staring at the reflection of the thing behind her. It had her smoking phone in one hand, and her laptop held by the screen in the other.
For a second the thing met her gaze in the glass, grinning.
And then Tosh’s eyes narrowed.
Screw backup. Nobody treated her laptop like that.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-17 06:28 pm (UTC)But seriously, I adored the ending. That's so Tosh -- wedded to her laptop and willing to do anything in its defence.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-17 06:42 pm (UTC):D So glad you liked it, anyway! Thanking you. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-17 06:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-17 06:43 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-17 06:49 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-17 06:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-18 11:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-18 12:42 pm (UTC)And yeah - aliens never quite seem to know what they're letting themselves in for... The one surefire way to get Tosh to beat someone up is to go for the laptop!
I'm really glad you liked it. :) Thank you most kindly!