Of the Loom?

Inquirer

Wonder if this has something to do with something Betty said in passing about her books and something in the Dr. Who book series called "the Weave"?

Well, best to ask the others quietly here, and for that....

"Let the Professor do it, dear." I say gently as I lay a hand on my husband's shoulder, "You can take your turn next time."

Of course, the really best person for this stealth/demolition job would be me, but again if I always took the dangerous jobs (and if the others allowed it) I fear that the others might grow overly dependant on me. That would leave them in a dire bind if I ever got put out of commission at an awkward time. Thus, I "share" with the group.....

And there is something I'd like to ask you all about while he's off doing his business, I then add silently to the others, Ace not included, a bit urgently.

Oh, it might not be important, but I rather would like some input on what the others have seen and heard for themselves on this matter. Not including Ace in on this silent mental conversation because while she's a friend I would like to keep this ability of telepathy secret for a bit longer from her and the Professor, if only for a bit.

....

Hey, it's like one of my old human friends back in the Military said on this matter. He was from the southeastern part of the North American continent of Home 6 and had this saying (with a slight southern "twang" to it): "Us Southerners might be friendly, but then again there are things that we don't share with even our friends."

As the Professor sneaks off towards the shed with the Dalek inside, we all pull back further into the shadows. Some of us do more by having a small conference.

Betty? Ragan? What do you make of the relationship between the Professor and the Doctor? I ask them, There's something off about it. Not like what you'd expect when dopplegangers meet.

The Doctor opens his mouth to say something, then blinks and closes it. Remaining silent, he glances out over to where he last saw the Professor, puzzled now about that himself.

Well, hasn't that something to do with the fact that the Professor is in a different Regeneration? Betty asked us all, After all, it wasn't like back with that "The Five Doctors" business anything happened like that between the Doctor and.....

That's when the Doctor shifts slightly, a bit uncomfortable with this turn in the conversation.....and everyone notices that! Sigin smiles a slight, understanding smile and then hides it before the Timelord can notice...and be embarrassed by that more than he already is by us noticing.

Hmm. Seems that the Doctor does care for some of his more abrasive analog brothers than he cares to admit. Got the feeling here that he'd rather die than admit to them.

I know my husband well enough to have already figured that one out but I think that Sigin had already guessed that bit of business as well. Like me, I see, he hadn't shared that observation with the others, respecting the Doctor's privacy.

Do you believe it has something to do with that thing that Walker mentioned in passing to me one time, I put in, changing the subject a little bit for my husband's sake, Something about a "Weave"?

It was called a "Loom" in our series of books, Ragan put in.

Sometimes names changed from reality to reality, but for the most part those Dr. Who stories (TV and such) remained remarkably alike....

Not having read any of the books, what is the Weave/Loom? The Doctor finally asked, glancing at a place where he had caught a glimpse of the Professor.

Short answer: it's how Gallifreyans reproduce. Betty explains, According to the books' mythos, they're not capable of having children in the usual way any more, so they "weave" them on "genetic looms." (There's a strange and somewhat complicated backstory as to how that came about. Never mind for now.) Additionally, according to the books (and correct me if I'm getting this wrong, Ragan, because I'm a bit vague on some of it), there was something very... odd... about the Doctor's own birth....er....the one in the book....from the Loom.

Don't you remember that in the book, Ragan put in from the side, It seems that back in the early days of the universe (when the boundaries between magic and science were less defined) the Timelords got cursed with a powerful curse that didn't allow them to reproduce in a normal fashion. That's why the Loom was made.

Guess it wasn't such a complicated backstory after all, Betty said with a trace of chargrin.

She then continued on:

Apparently he's sort of a genetic reincarnation of an ancient figure known as the Other, a contemporary of Omega and Rassilon, who may not himself have been entirely Gallifreyan. (He's an extremely mysterious figure, to say the least.) From what I recall, the Doctor wasn't previously aware of this, but in his 7th incarnation, he's started to get some serious hints about it, maybe even gained access to some of the Other's memories. It's relevant to "Revelation of the Daleks" because one of the books uses this to explain how he ended up with the Hand of Omega in the first place. It used to belong to the Other (possibly after it belonged to Omega, I don't really remember), and it sort of recognized him. I do remember the image of it following him around like a dog and affectionately bumping against his legs, which I have to admit was really amusing.

I see the Doctor begin to almost explain aloud how he (and apparently his analog brothers) actually came to possess the Hand of Omega, but closes it before he can utter a syllable. He'd told me the tale awhile ago in passing, but hasn't gotten around to telling the others yet.

Hmm. At that I guess I will have to tell him about him having been adopted by Trilling Blackfeather, that ebony griffin leader of the Gryphon Nation. We don't need the distraction that would cause right now, I fear. Oh, but I can't just wait to see the look on his face....

All that said, all the same Ace glances back at us as if to see what is up. Must have heard something coming from us. Must remember to watch ourselves. She's hardly a dolt....

She turns back, shrugging as if dismissing a thought. I silently give a small prayer of thanks to the Creator for that. It would be awkward to have to explain right now about this telepathy business. Will probably do it sooner or later, but not right now.

I'm never quite sure how I feel about all this embellishment, myself. Ragan put in, As I've said before, I'm only inclined to accept it on alternate Tuesdays.

Poor soul, the Doctor finally says, having turned a little pale, That...would explain a lot, though...

We all silently agree after that to not tell the Professor or Ace about that business with the Loom. It wouldn't be helpful and could even be a bit harmful, really. All that said, at least we know that "our" Doctor (and as well as his analog brothers) come from Galifreys which have children the "old fashioned way, still. We got to see a few little Galifreyians before jetting off the last time we visited....and now I understand what Ragan was asking that one technician about Looms.....

Anyway, sometimes ignorance is bliss, and who knows? Maybe our guess could be totally wrong for all we know. Kind of plays upon our caution about not overly relying upon knowledge of TV series and such.

Indeed, "TV knowledge" had been a major worry for a long time when we Military folks had met those from the Star Trek universe. Goodness knows what kind of havoc (diplomatic and otherwise) would be unleashed by it. Indeed, our largest worry had been how the Romulans would react to seeing how their TV counterparts got "tricked" into joining in on the Federation's side of that war with the Dominion. Later on we found out that the faked video recording (ala Star Trek:DSN) had not been even recovered from that one destroyed ambassodor's ship, but instead their own spies had uncovered a not too dissimilar plan of Dominion betrayal of the Romulans..... The Romulans later learned of the Federations supposed duplicity...and just shrugged. Oh, it angered a few, but only a few. Romulan thinking being that it was a good ploy that actually was the truth....even if the video hadn't been real.....

Nevermind, it's a long story...

That said, we soon hear that the Professor is ready to "play" with the Dalek.

My hand hovers near the recently re-assembled plasma pistol I have hid in one of the compartments on my person. If need be I can quickly draw and hopefully disable the blasted Dalek if the Professor gets into a jam....

"Oy! Dalek!" he calls from behind a pile of bricks, "Over here! What's the matter? Don't recognize your mortal enemy?"

"Dare say it wouldn't," I mutter to myself as the clunky thing rolls out to meet the challenge, "Being that the 'Doctor' it's used to dealing with never got around to his eighth Regeneration."

Meanwhile, the boxy thing has begin to speak....or rather to shout!

Gads, can't that Dalek speak in a more normal voice? What is it, deaf or something?

"Halt!" the grey Dalek shouts, "You are one of the human's seen associating with the Doctor! Halt and be interrogated!! Halt! Halt!!

It keeps going on and on in that same vein (even when the Professor shouts out that he's not human), adding a shouted "Exterminate! Exterminate!!" when the Doctor keeps dodging and running around it. The thing is so....annoying!

BANG!!

Creator, it the Doctor hadn't just blown it up I would have....just to get it to shut up and stop going on and on like some kind of ghastly toy from that one museum I visited online onetime. That one toy from Nazi Germany that was halfway broken and kept on shouting a german salute every time it's chord was pulled!

"It didn't believe I was the Doctor!" the Professor said, almost insulted as he looks at the bubbling mess coming from the blasted ruin of the Dalek before them.

"There's a good reason for that, young man!" Sigin says softly in the First Doctor's voice to the Professor as he comes up to his side, "Their spies no doubt espied me in disguise and thus placed you as one of my many Companions."

"Oh....that would....explain it," the Professor says, not sure how to feel about being confused with being a Companion.

A groan comes from off to the left as the two soldiers I knocked out come staggering over to us. The explosion has awoken them, I guess.

1. "What happened?" one asked thickly, looking at us and then at the slagged Dalek.

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