In VR Veritas
Jan. 14th, 2008 02:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
laliginFandom: Torchwood (shock horror!)
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1000
Summary: Tosh is testing a new Virtual Reality simulator, but how much control does she have over what it reveals?
Pairings/s: Hints of: Gwen/Owen, Tosh/Mary, Ianto/Lisa, one-sided Tosh/Owen, and Ianto/Tosh (I think that covers it all)
Prompt: For the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
writerinadrawer Challenge 1.04 - A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words
A/N: The prompt was a specific picture - this one here:
In VR Veritas
“I’ve hooked it up to the main screen,” Tosh tells them, gesturing at the wall of the autopsy room, “and with any luck you should get audio feedback from the speakers, but I’m not entirely happy with that setup.”
The others nod, and she sits down on the gurney, next to the headset.
“I’m not sure how much control I’ll have over it,” she says, and Gwen frowns, starting to say, “Tosh, are you sure this is a good idea?”
“But if things go wrong,” Tosh continues, talking right over her, “I’ll still be able to hear you, distantly, so you just have to get me to bring the scenario back here and I’ll be able to shut it off.”
Owen exchanges a glance with Gwen, and then says, “She has a point, Tosh. Maybe you should run some more tests before you start playing about with the thing.”
“It’s only a virtual reality simulator, Owen,” Tosh says patiently. “I’ve run all the tests I can and now I need to try it out. It won’t work properly without someone wearing it. I’ll be fine. Now. Are you ready for the results?”
Owen rolls his eyes and checks the machines, saying, “Yeah. Ready when you are. Gwen, keep an eye on that one for me. If there’s any change let me know.”
“Okay, here goes,” Tosh says brightly, and puts on the headset.
For a few seconds nothing happens. Then Tosh gasps and rocks back a little as the screen lights up. The image is fuzzy and fragmented, and flickers wildly. Jack hurries down the steps to grab Tosh’s arm and steady her, and she stares blankly past them all, barely even blinking.
“What’s going on?” Gwen asks, looking up at the screen. “Should it be doing that?”
The screen goes blank momentarily, and then cycles through a rapid kaleidoscope of pictures of Gwen – and then it fragments and splinters, and Tosh jerks violently on the gurney.
“It’s too much,” Jack says quickly. “It wasn’t meant for human minds. Even Tosh can’t control it.”
Pictures of Jack start cascading across the screen, and Ianto, still on the stairs out of the way, urges him, “Get her to focus on here and now. She can’t turn it off otherwise.”
Jack glances up at him and nods, then turns back to Tosh and says loudly, “Tosh. You’re in the autopsy room. You have to focus. Concentrate on my voice. You want to be back here with us.”
The images on the screen slow down, and the speakers crackle then suddenly spit out Jack’s voice, saying, “– sent her there at night and everything,” as he looks off to the side of the picture.
“You killed her,” comes Toshiko’s voice, and the Jack on the screen turns back to glare out at them all, snapping, “Yes.”
For a few seconds that image stays frozen on the screen, and Jack releases Toshiko’s arm and steps back. The others stare at him.
“She won’t listen to me,” Jack says quietly, looking up at his own unforgiving expression. “Why the hell should she?”
“Tosh,” Owen snaps. “Stop playing silly buggers and get back here.”
Tosh turns her head towards his voice, and the screen scrolls through a myriad of pictures of him, finally settling on one from just outside the autopsy room. His expression is one of the utmost scorn, matched by his voice from the speakers saying, “Sometimes I think even that stick up your arse has got a stick up its arse.”
“I didn’t mean that,” Owen protests guiltily, but the image flickers over to another, outside, as he struggles with one of their canvas tents and Toshiko’s voice comes through, saying cheerfully, “Need a hand getting it up, Owen?”
On the screen, the look on his face even before he starts to respond is enough to have Gwen moving away from the monitor she’s watching, taking Jack’s place at Toshiko’s side and saying, “Tosh, sweetheart, come on. You just need to focus. We’re all here waiting for you in the autopsy room. You remember. You just put the helmet on…”
“Didn’t take you long to get your feet under the table,” murmur the speakers accusingly, as the Gwen on the screen looks up, startled, insulted and extremely guilty.
“Okay,” Gwen says, backing away. “I can take a hint.”
Ianto gently pushes her aside and takes hold of Tosh’s hand.
“Tosh,” he says quietly, and the screen goes dark – not black, but unlit, with Ianto just about visible in the centre of an underground room, chains hanging from the ceiling.
“You’re in the Hub,” Ianto says, and the image turns over to the Hub in lockdown, Ianto on his knees with his hands behind his head, saying defiantly, “I put her there,” and then Lisa electrocuting Jack, then turning and walking towards them, and then glass shattering and a fist through the window and a slew of scenes of bodies on the floor and blood smeared across the conversion unit and –
“I know, I’m sorry,” Ianto tells her softly. “But you have to trust me now. Concentrate.”
“Get ready to run,” whisper the speakers, and Ianto looks up at the screen to see himself give Tosh a reassuring nod.
“Good,” he says. “Bring it forward. You’re in the Hub, remember, and you’re safe.”
On the screen, a knife is whisked away out of view and Jack hands over the transporter to Mary as Tosh dashes to Ianto’s side.
“That’s right,” Ianto tells her. “Come on, Tosh. You’re testing the simulator. Focus.”
The images on the screen flicker, and then suddenly it shows the autopsy room, Owen and Gwen by the monitors, Jack by the stairs, Ianto closest to the viewpoint.
Tosh gasps and blinks, then hurriedly reaches up, snatching her hand out of Ianto’s, and pulls the simulator off her head.
“I think it might need a few refinements,” she says shakily, avoiding their gazes.
Ianto pats her shoulder and leaves them to it.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1000
Summary: Tosh is testing a new Virtual Reality simulator, but how much control does she have over what it reveals?
Pairings/s: Hints of: Gwen/Owen, Tosh/Mary, Ianto/Lisa, one-sided Tosh/Owen, and Ianto/Tosh (I think that covers it all)
Prompt: For the
writerinadrawer Challenge 1.04 - A Picture Is Worth 1000 WordsA/N: The prompt was a specific picture - this one here:
In VR Veritas
“I’ve hooked it up to the main screen,” Tosh tells them, gesturing at the wall of the autopsy room, “and with any luck you should get audio feedback from the speakers, but I’m not entirely happy with that setup.”
The others nod, and she sits down on the gurney, next to the headset.
“I’m not sure how much control I’ll have over it,” she says, and Gwen frowns, starting to say, “Tosh, are you sure this is a good idea?”
“But if things go wrong,” Tosh continues, talking right over her, “I’ll still be able to hear you, distantly, so you just have to get me to bring the scenario back here and I’ll be able to shut it off.”
Owen exchanges a glance with Gwen, and then says, “She has a point, Tosh. Maybe you should run some more tests before you start playing about with the thing.”
“It’s only a virtual reality simulator, Owen,” Tosh says patiently. “I’ve run all the tests I can and now I need to try it out. It won’t work properly without someone wearing it. I’ll be fine. Now. Are you ready for the results?”
Owen rolls his eyes and checks the machines, saying, “Yeah. Ready when you are. Gwen, keep an eye on that one for me. If there’s any change let me know.”
“Okay, here goes,” Tosh says brightly, and puts on the headset.
For a few seconds nothing happens. Then Tosh gasps and rocks back a little as the screen lights up. The image is fuzzy and fragmented, and flickers wildly. Jack hurries down the steps to grab Tosh’s arm and steady her, and she stares blankly past them all, barely even blinking.
“What’s going on?” Gwen asks, looking up at the screen. “Should it be doing that?”
The screen goes blank momentarily, and then cycles through a rapid kaleidoscope of pictures of Gwen – and then it fragments and splinters, and Tosh jerks violently on the gurney.
“It’s too much,” Jack says quickly. “It wasn’t meant for human minds. Even Tosh can’t control it.”
Pictures of Jack start cascading across the screen, and Ianto, still on the stairs out of the way, urges him, “Get her to focus on here and now. She can’t turn it off otherwise.”
Jack glances up at him and nods, then turns back to Tosh and says loudly, “Tosh. You’re in the autopsy room. You have to focus. Concentrate on my voice. You want to be back here with us.”
The images on the screen slow down, and the speakers crackle then suddenly spit out Jack’s voice, saying, “– sent her there at night and everything,” as he looks off to the side of the picture.
“You killed her,” comes Toshiko’s voice, and the Jack on the screen turns back to glare out at them all, snapping, “Yes.”
For a few seconds that image stays frozen on the screen, and Jack releases Toshiko’s arm and steps back. The others stare at him.
“She won’t listen to me,” Jack says quietly, looking up at his own unforgiving expression. “Why the hell should she?”
“Tosh,” Owen snaps. “Stop playing silly buggers and get back here.”
Tosh turns her head towards his voice, and the screen scrolls through a myriad of pictures of him, finally settling on one from just outside the autopsy room. His expression is one of the utmost scorn, matched by his voice from the speakers saying, “Sometimes I think even that stick up your arse has got a stick up its arse.”
“I didn’t mean that,” Owen protests guiltily, but the image flickers over to another, outside, as he struggles with one of their canvas tents and Toshiko’s voice comes through, saying cheerfully, “Need a hand getting it up, Owen?”
On the screen, the look on his face even before he starts to respond is enough to have Gwen moving away from the monitor she’s watching, taking Jack’s place at Toshiko’s side and saying, “Tosh, sweetheart, come on. You just need to focus. We’re all here waiting for you in the autopsy room. You remember. You just put the helmet on…”
“Didn’t take you long to get your feet under the table,” murmur the speakers accusingly, as the Gwen on the screen looks up, startled, insulted and extremely guilty.
“Okay,” Gwen says, backing away. “I can take a hint.”
Ianto gently pushes her aside and takes hold of Tosh’s hand.
“Tosh,” he says quietly, and the screen goes dark – not black, but unlit, with Ianto just about visible in the centre of an underground room, chains hanging from the ceiling.
“You’re in the Hub,” Ianto says, and the image turns over to the Hub in lockdown, Ianto on his knees with his hands behind his head, saying defiantly, “I put her there,” and then Lisa electrocuting Jack, then turning and walking towards them, and then glass shattering and a fist through the window and a slew of scenes of bodies on the floor and blood smeared across the conversion unit and –
“I know, I’m sorry,” Ianto tells her softly. “But you have to trust me now. Concentrate.”
“Get ready to run,” whisper the speakers, and Ianto looks up at the screen to see himself give Tosh a reassuring nod.
“Good,” he says. “Bring it forward. You’re in the Hub, remember, and you’re safe.”
On the screen, a knife is whisked away out of view and Jack hands over the transporter to Mary as Tosh dashes to Ianto’s side.
“That’s right,” Ianto tells her. “Come on, Tosh. You’re testing the simulator. Focus.”
The images on the screen flicker, and then suddenly it shows the autopsy room, Owen and Gwen by the monitors, Jack by the stairs, Ianto closest to the viewpoint.
Tosh gasps and blinks, then hurriedly reaches up, snatching her hand out of Ianto’s, and pulls the simulator off her head.
“I think it might need a few refinements,” she says shakily, avoiding their gazes.
Ianto pats her shoulder and leaves them to it.
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