Talk:X-Seven Trilogy

See Fly Paper:meta for comments about "Fly Paper" as a collaborative fiction project.

=Discussion of Fly Paper= Please add discussion of the story itself below.

Comments
Aids to the reader: list of characters and glossary. JWSchmidt 22:07, 29 May 2005 (UTC)

=
Naturally, the application of wiki to fiction writing collaboration, facilitating rewriting, can only offer immeasurably vast improvement over those ghawd-awful add-on stories or "rounders." But a better idea still, is to begin by discussion, even brainstorming.

Cross-over is the challenge of optimal and elegant configuration of diverse plot elements, without arbitrary, extraneous, contrived half baked contrivance.

And for 'The X-Files' in particular, rather than everyone being plucked out of time for the call to action by the Guardians of the Universe to stave off whatever ultimate catastrophe, thereby by leaving the writer struggling to find any story at all elsewhere entirely, or the Sliders, Sam Becket, Dr. Who or Gary Seven, simply stumbling into some completely unrelated x-file case or whatever convolutions of established and bloated 'X-Files' continuity, instead, indeed, the Sliders, Dr. Who or Gary Seven might conceivably become the subject of FBI investigation, creating all manner of far more interesting complications, for an adequate and appealing story.

The Sliders, Sam Becket, Dr. Who and Gary Seven are each entirely sufficient and intriguing as stand-alone x-files in and of themselves!

Indeed, let us begin simply by opening FBI files on Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln. Where is the mystery to investigate? What fragmentary information does the FBI already possess on Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln? Anything to pique Special Agent Mulder's interest?

And what complications and dilemmas might be created for Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln, by an investigation, in order thereby to generate conflict?

And what resistance and obstacles to his investigation must Mulder overcome?

And once these issues begin to flesh out, then the larger context of vast conspiratorial agendas may be brought into play: How is Gary Seven actually involved? Still preserving the Earth? Or by now has even Gary Seven become entangled and corrupted?

And how does Roberta Lincoln react?

What of Isis?

Then all that will be needed is a properly enigmatic conclusion.

Perhaps though still seeing himself as justified in saving the world, Gary Seven has been moving to ever darker extremes. Indeed, Gary Seven has fallen into the orbit of Cancer Man! Roberta Lincoln is concerned, even appalled. But Gary Seven only insists to Roberta Lincoln that she is out of her depth, and forces her away for her own safety, just before Isis (apparently) finally executes Gary Seven for crossing the line. Mulder arrives too late! Roberta Lincoln freezes him with the paralyze setting on Gary Seven's fountain pen and escapes.

Aaron Agassi --- http://www.FoolQuest.com/fiction.htm

contrived contrivance
Fine, contrived half baked contrivance is out. Yet, I wonder if carefully contrived contrivance is okay.Some people have never accepted the idea that Doggett and Reyes now run the x-files office. Special Agent Mulder is sometimes unhappy about leaving the FBI, but he now enjoys greater freedom of action. Anyhow, if the Lone Gunmen cannot hack into the FBI for needed information, Doggett and Reyes are only a phone call away.

We must contrive in order to pique Special Agent Mulder's interest? Nay! After a lifetime (er, how many times has he died?)..... The man is a walking auto-pique. He can sense a twitching alien tentacle at a distance of 12.4 parsecs. This is way past the point of waiting for plums to fall into one's lap. Mulder has spun his web, laid out fly paper, set baited traps and also made it known in dark alleys that he is available if the Mother Ship has a spare berth. Damn it, those aliens just do not want to play ball (unless it is only within the security of anonymity that protects players in the minor leagues). Fine, I have no objection to starting with Doggett and Reyes cluelessly stumbling their way into yet another alien contact episode as if it is just another ho-hum day at work.

But is there any real doubt about the bona fides of Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln? I swear I remember seeing them wearing white hats in TOS. Gary Seven gone to the dark side? No! I know there is still good in you! I thought the CSM was turned into atmospheric dust....did someone forget to erase his orbit? Yikes. Yes, a tension between Gary and Roberta is still there after several decades of close collaboration. Since they are not from the same technological rung of the ladder their relationship is loaded with more explosive potential than a president getting involved with an intern. Mulder arrives too late? <-- well, yes, he is known as "Sisyphus" to many mocking aliens. --JWSchmidt 20:23, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

beyond plot device
If you ask me which is faster and/or more powerful, a Federation Starship or an Imperial Star Destroyer, I will always answer that within the restrictions of science, plausibility and established continuity, a real script writer would then simply make up whatever the answers to suit the needs of whatever the plot. Likewise, the question of which agents investigate x-files is the question of when our story is set, a question as any other should to be determined entirely by whatever the needs of the plot, once a good story begins to emerge. Likewise no less, whether an x-file or a Lone Gunmen investigation or both, etc. Writing is rewriting!

And yes, everything must begin from decent hook for Mulder in the Garry Seven and Roberta Lincoln files, no matter how subtle, to launch the investigation and generate unique ideas and situations. Otherwise, anything less interesting must be contrived, such as a an entirely arbitrary and poorly motivated visit by Roberta Lincoln, full of painfully expository dialogue and leading only to formula.

And so, I press the same thought experiment: What is to be found in the Garry Seven and Roberta Lincoln files at the Federal Bureau of Investigation? Is there anything that Mulder alone might have noticed? -Even if it might be anyone else that ever follows up...

And yes, surely some Sisyphusian conclusion for the benefit of our poor long suffering seekers of truth can be managed! And yes, the question of decades character development for Garry Seven, Isis and Roberta Lincoln can remain open to broad possibilities, twists and surprises as per whatever the needs of a good yarn. Remember, Garry Seven himself is the x-file now. Just imagine poor Garry Seven in the clutches of Chris Carter!

Aaron Agassi -- FoolQuest.com

==== "poorly motivated visit" <-- Poorly motivated....poorly motivated? Why beat around the bush? Why introduce softening euphemisms? Unless I am wrong, there is NO motivation introduced at all.

"entirely arbitrary" <-- It would not be hard for me to have never seen THE definitive explanation of the alien visitors behind the "mytharc" of the X-files. In the absence of knowing (or particularly caring) what might have been Carter's thoughts on the ultimate motivations of the aliens, producing such an explanation is my starting point for my X-files fanfic. I have sinned. I have little concern for being true to every quirk of the X-files series. In my view, the X-files series was not internally coherent (it could be I just do not "get it") and many aspects seemed slapped together from old and tired sci fi plot elements....I'm not complaining, the "slapping together" was done with more style than we have reason to expect from TV. I think the characters from the X-files are fun and I wanted to introduce them to an alternate reality in which the behavior of the aliens makes sense, at least to me. My account of what alien visitors to Earth might be doing fits well with the role played by Gary Seven in Star Trek TOS. It is fun for me to try to project Gary and Roberta 40 years into the future from their original roles in TOS. Of course, my sins multiply because I loathe the idea of transporter technology, particularly the sort that was sending Gary from here to there on his Mission to Earth. Again, I adopt characters and abandon what I feel are indefensible plot devices from TOS. Does Roberta running into Dana on the Moon for dinner seem "entirely arbitrary"? That is fine with me, dear reader. It is a mystery. Do you suffer disorienting disbelief? All will eventually be understood. There is method in this madness. I hope. I'm still thinking about exactly how to wrap it all up in "Moon Reyes".

"painfully expository dialogue" <-- Okay, I have a mental image of the whole looong scene of when Roberta meets Dana and I find it hilarious. I wish I could write well enough to force that image into the heads of readers. I grew up reading the work of Asimov and he accepted the idea that many people prefer fiction with less TALKING. However, I prefer the Asimov style of long conversations. I have no editor reminding me to include an average of 3.4 car chases per episode.

"formula" <-- It would not surprise me to learn that things I write can be categorized according to well-known literary (well, I question if what I write should be called literary in the sense of being artistic) formula. Sorry to say, I am so uncultured as to never have studied literature. Yes, I had teachers who tried to expose me to literature, but just as some people are color blind, I have a fairly severe defect in the brain regions that produce appreciation for literature. The type of fiction that appeals to me is very narrow, what I often think of as "fictional science", something most people probably dismiss as oxymoronic, but it makes perfect sense to me.

"the Garry Seven and Roberta Lincoln files" <-- I'm not clear in my thinking about what Gary and Roberta did during the 70s, 80s and 90s. Maybe they went off to Neptune and made babies. If so, the only thing about them in government files might be something like Roberta's arrest for marijuana possession in 1963. My thinking is that while Garry Seven is an interventionist, he actually does not make a habit of casual junkets to Earth. When there is an emergency situation he will go to Earth, but that does not happen very often. If he did come to the notice of an Earthly government, he would take action to destroy records pertaining to his activities on Earth. However, there is a chance that his activity on Earth could leave a trail that would be noticed. That was part of my plan for "Moon Reyes"....that components from one of his robotic operatives would be found in the debris of a plane crash.

But enough of my schemes. It sounds like you might have an idea for how to put Mulder onto Gary's trail. --JWSchmidt 01:52, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

anything at all
The implications are that Garry Seven and Isis do remain of Earth to take over operations personally. And my only idea whatsoever how to put Mulder on the trail remains to brainstorm whatever at all there might be to find in the Garry Seven and Roberta Lincoln files. That and the events. And by all means, let's start with that pot bust, why not? Anomalies, anyone?

Aaron Agassi -- FoolQuest.com

==== "take over operations personally" <-- this need not be explained in detail in the story, but in order to create the story I'd like a clear idea of just what the "operations" are. Based on the Star Trek episode with Gary Seven, it seems like the basic idea is that he should be trying to help human civilzation on Earth develop and survive. In the X-files universe, there seems to be a variety of aliens who all have different motivations. Some alien forces seem to have better intentions towards Earth than do other alien factions. Technically, Gary is not an alien, but I assume that he is sponsored by an alien faction. How does Gary Seven interact with the various alien factions? --JWSchmidt 15:35, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

specifics
Garry Seven is a member of an elite human civilization transplanted off world and trained by mysterious secretive aliens. Supervisor Garry Seven, troubleshooting, only actually goes into the field himself after the discovery that the assigned field agents with whom all contact had been lost, were freshly dead in a random car accident. Subsequently, together with Isis, Garry Seven remains on Earth, continuing to employ Roberta Lincoln. After that, it rather depends upon whom one asks!

For Special Agent Fox Mulder, and for innovative fiction writing, it all begins with whatever the evidence for conspiracy theory regarding the fateful events of the turbulent year 1968 and the contents of the Garry Seven and Roberta Lincoln FBI files. Come to think if it, there is also the traffic accident report. Any other pertinent documented evidemce?

Let the brainstorm begin! Open those cold case x-files. What would we find therein? What anomalies to intrigue Mulder? What about it, folks? Who will rise to my challenge?

Aaron Agassi -- FoolQuest.com

====

Dana Scully flips open her chirping cell phone and glances at the number of the caller. She recognizes it as being the number for FBI Special Agent Monica Reyes. Dana says, "Hello, Monica."

Agent Reyes does not take time for small talk. "Dana, we have a strange situation here and I am totally out of my element."

Dana briefly puzzles over how tense and psychologically rattled Monica sounds. Scully quickly decides to try to lighten the mood. "And good afternoon to you, Monica."

Monica's gravity does not lessen. "Sorry, Dana, I was rude. Good afternoon. I'm sorry, but there is a medical emergency that is spinning out of control."

These are the kind of words that cause Dana's heart to go ice cold. Dana guesses that something terrible has happened to Monica's partner. "Is it John?"

Monica sounds surprised, "What? No, John's fine." She realized the wrong turn that Dana's thoughts have taken. "I'm fine; this is about someone you do not know. Raphael Serra, age 71. Admitted to the Montreal Heart Institute 73 days ago with severe intracranial hemorrhage. Mr. Serra underwent brain surgery but never regained consciousness. Due to severe irreversible brain damage, he was taken off of life support 69 days ago, yet he is still alive."

Dana says, "69 days with no fluids?"

Monica exhales a long ragged breath. "Dana, it has been weeks since his doctors expected him to die. He was declared dead.....three weeks ago."

Dana asks, "Declared dead following cardiac arrest?"

Monica continued the account. "Mr. Serra was not on a cardiac monitor. The family was resigned to letting nature take its course and there was to be no medical intervention. When family and staff could no longer detect breathing or a pulse the attending physician signed a death certificate and the body was sent to a funeral home. Workers there noticed that body temperature was maintained and they were able to detect heart activity and a slow, shallow pattern of respiration. The patient was sent to McGill University Health Centre where he is still clinging to life."

Dana is growing impatient and wishes that Monica would get to the punch line. "Unusual, but I must assume there is something more that you have not told me."

Monica is clearly struggling for the words needed to describe the situation. "Okay, cling....I should not have said "clinging to life". He's gotten much better. His recovery reminds me of.....Mulder."

Dana's thoughts flash back to when Mulder "came back from the dead". (deadalive) Dana asks, "How much better?"

Monica sighs, "Still no higher brain activity, but the family interpreted the recovery as a miracle. First they called for intravenous fluids and then for a feeding tube. Kidney and liver function is now mostly recovered....the doctors suspect that Mr. Serra's body could remain in this state for years."

Dana shakes her head. She decides, no, it is not really like Mulder's recovery. Mulder had been in an altered physiological state due to a viral infection and he was able to recover only after the virus was inactivated. Unless....could Mr. Serra's immune system have defeated the virus? Dana asks, "Any indication of viral infection?"

Monica replies, "No, none detected. But tests were not done until the recovery was well under way. A virus could have been missed. But that's not the point. I turns out that Mr. Serra was the recipient of a transplanted heart, in 1968."

Scully says, "That's not possible. None of the early heart transplant recipients survived very long."

Monica's voice becomes firm, "Dana, I suppose that's what you were taught in medical school, but the Canadian's had this nailed down before they contacted the FBI. I've been through the records....anyhow, we are three steps past debating the point. Trust me, Dana, DNA tests confirm the whole thing."

Dana is silent for a moment then asks quietly, "Do you mean...”

Monica cuts Dana off, "It turns out that the heart donor was part of an unsolved case. A man and a woman died under mysterious circumstances....a car accident...the coroner in 1968 never signed the death certificates. Actually, he lost his job over the matter. Anyhow, he ended filing all sorts of law suits and eventually, when he died after 9 years of fighting, the two deaths were still part of an open police case." Monica pauses.

Dana waits for Monica to continue then prompts, "Why wouldn't he sign the death certificate?"

"He claimed that he could find no cause of death. No relatives of the dead couple could be found. The coroner claimed that after years of investigating, the only information that was found seemed to be fabricated and falsified. He refused to accept their apparent identities and filed lawsuits in the name of Mr. and Mrs. John Doe. But none of that really matters. We were able to exhume the organ donor's body and DNA testing matched the body to tissue from Mr. Serra."

Dana is surprised. She asks, "They did a biopsy on Mr. Serra's heart?"

Monica replies, "Not at first...it was not really necessary. A doctor ordered a complete blood work up on Mr. Serra and it was learned that his blood type had changed from A to O."

Dana guffaws. "That's impossible. A test was botched or records were not accurate."

Monica presses on, "Well, that really does not matter because many solid tissue biopsies have now been done and much of Mr. Serra's body is now made of cells that match the DNA extracted from teeth found in the grave of the 1968 John Doe who was the organ donor."

Dana tries to match this startling news to what is known about stem cells. Is it possible that step cells from the "John Doe" could have colonized Mr. Serra's body? She says, "I don't think that's possible. Stem cells will grow in an embryo, but they cannot take-over an organ recipient's body."

Monica is not done. "So far, we just have a ground-breaking medical first with profound implications for stem cell research, but that is not why I called you."

Dana's thoughts swirl. She wonders what could possibly top what Monica has already said. Monica continues, "The real mystery is in the DNA from "John Doe". It is not human."

Dana hesitates, but the words come out. "Is it...alien...?" She stops, lost in thought. Would aliens even use DNA as their genetic molecule?

Monica explains. "It is close to modern human. I guess you probably know that there is now a paleogenome project. DNA from ancient remains such as Neanderthals is being sequenced. The DNA of John Doe seems about a diverged from modern humans as Neanderthal DNA, but diverged in another direction. And worse, some of the people who have been looking at the sequences are now suggesting that John Doe's DNA shows indications of having been genetically engineered."

Scully objects, "The tools for genetic engineering did not exist until recently. How could....." Her thoughts race and she falls silent. She can now appreciate why Monica has called. It sounds like all of medical science would be out of its depth for this case. But something else is still bothering Scully. "You mentioned an emergency?"

Monica heaves a deep sigh. "This case just keeps getting more bizzare. It turns out that there is a man in Italy who needs a kidney transplant. John Doe's DNA was placed into a global database and came up as a tissue type match for for the patient in Italy. The biopsies have been done and both of Mr. Serra's kidneys are made of cells from "John Doe". Mr. Serra's family wants to donate one his kidneys to the man in Italy. There is an international ethics committee struggling over this and they want expert opinion on the chances that "John Doe" can act like an infectious agent. Dana, there are no experts on this topic, but you have experience with some similar cases. The man in Italy is dying. This decision about the transplant must be made soon, but the committee is deadlocked. Dana, I hate to put you into the middle of this, but I think you are the closest thing the world has to an expert in this matter."

--JWSchmidt 04:55, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

must I do everything?
Clue as to cover story on Earth: Gary Seven: "What kind of work did your employers say they were doing?" Roberta Lincoln: "Research for a new encyclopedia?"

Some part of Roberta Lincoln's research, actually intelligence background work, is ever tenuously reconstructed by the FBI and however indirectly linked to the rocket program.

The accident report: Beta-5: "Occurrence -- automobile accident. Location -- Highway 949, 10 miles north of McKinley Rocket Base. Agents 347 and 201 were killed instantly." Gary Seven: "That just doesn't make sense ... for them to die in something as useless as an automobile accident. Are the facts verified?" Beta-5: "Verified. Descriptions of bodies are exact."

Does this indicate that no fake driver's licenses or other IDs where ever found? We may also surmise that autopsy revealed each of them to be in unusually good health and that the bodies where never identified. Or did Garry Seven ever try to claim the bodies? Are the bodies still preserved in government or other institutional possession? Calling Dr. Skully!

FBI investigation finally identifies the automobile accident victims with the two office workers who initially employed Roberta Lincoln as research assistant.

The 911 call: Roberta Lincoln: "Send the police. 811 East 68th St., apartment 12B."

The police arrive: After bursting in with probable cause, hearing Roberta's muffled screams, two cops, one addressed by the other as Charley, are momentarily beamed up to USS Enterprise.

The cops listed the call vaguely as a domestic disturbance, and never admitted what they really experienced until interviewed by Project Blue Book.

811 East 68th St., apartment 12B is by mow long vacant. The unit still has an enviable live-work zoning. (There was both an apartment and an office.) The unit was rented untraceably through a holding company. Rent was always paid promptly and in full via wire transfer.

Possible electronic records: Scotty: "There's an old-style weather satellite in orbit below us. If I could bounce off it, I could get some good views. I've got it. I could get even closer. If I could spot him, I could beam him up."

Launch complex logs: "Speak to you a moment?" "Yeah, sure, Sarge." "There it is." "I'll have to confirm this, Colonel." But final inspection of the launch pad is cleared, and the countdown proceeds.

McKinley Air force Base security logs: Sergeant Lipton attempts to arrest Gary Seven (together with Isis) at McKinley Air force Base, and Gary Seven, using his servo, well, essentially, neurolizes one Sergeant Lipton into calling in a false alarm and then taking a nap.

But Kirk and Spock beam in right before the stunned guard as he awakens. "Freeze! One move, and you've both had it. Intruder alert. Intruder alert. Security to launch director. We have unidentified intruders -- males, a pair."

Kirk and Spock are escorted to an interrogation room in the launch complex for interrogation: "These are all they were carrying." "T-minus 15 minutes and counting." "You've got a chance, and I'll offer it only this once. The slightest possible charges will be brought against you if you identify yourselves - and tell us why you're here."

The decision is taken not to delay launch despite the security breach.

The arming of the warhead is noted by Chekov aboard the Enterprise as Scotty attempts to contact Kirk for instructions. When the communicator beeps and the rocket base guard picks it up, Spock uses the Vulcan Nerve Pinch to render the guard unconscious. Scotty is ordered to beam Kirk and Spock to Seven's office where the rocket malfunction and near disaster are brought into effect all as planned and recorded by history.

Former Sergeant Lipton never remembers Gary Seven until interrogated for the x-files under hypnosis. An FBI sketch artist creates a rendition. But everyone damn well remembers the two Trekies they caught, and joke about how they must have been beamed away!

Anything else?

Primary sources: http://www.voyager.cz/tos/epizody/56assignmentearthtrans.htm and http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Assignment_Earth