LOST WORLD MISSING SCENES
Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Lost World and just like borrowing the characters. All my stories are written to help keep interest in The Lost World alive and because I love these characters.
(These are just little scenes I would like to have seen or the way I think it should have gone. Not everyone will agree but this is just my version.)
Survivors:
(This takes place immediately following the scene with the freed spirits and before they returned to the Treehouse.)
For several minutes the trip of explorers watched the freed spirits from the cave, wheel and spin across the sky. Finally the spirits began to fade and were gone. Roxton glanced at his two friends before making a dash up the steps and into the tunnels once more. He wanted, no needed, to see that Marguerite and Challenger were alright.
When he had charged up the first time after the ghostly forms of Adrienne and Maplewhite, Veronica and Malone had tried to hold him back. The hunter had taken advantage when Malone had stumbled and pushed past. He'd made it to the bottom of the steps when Veronica had caught up to him. He'd managed to fire his rifle at Maplewhite, wounding the being. But Veronica had convinced him to wait outside following Challenger's instructions. He had waited impatiently until the spirits had disappeared. This time when he charged inside, there was no holding him back.
Roxton made his way into the central chamber and was relieved to see both of his friends on their feet. Marguerite was picking up her stolen jewelry. He came over to her when she stumbled slightly and held her steady. Challenger was busy dismantling his contraption. Both looked exhausted and pale but relatively unharmed.
"You did it again, old boy," Roxton said as he held onto Marguerite. "Are you both alright?"
"I believe so," the scientist replied as Veronica entered the chamber. "I can already feel my energy returning. I believe we'll both be fine in a day or two."
"Speak for yourself," Marguerite said. She didn't remember ever feeling this tired and her emotions were in disarray. "I just want to leave here and never think about it again."
Veronica hugged Challenger and offered the older woman a quick smile. "I'm just glad you're both in one piece."
She quickly helped Challenger to return the pieces of his device to its container. Once the box was shut tight, Roxton lifted it over his shoulder and turned to leave. That was when he noticed someone was missing.
"Where's Malone?" he asked. "He could help carry something."
"I made him wait outside," Veronica replied. "I was afraid if he started bleeding again we might start this whole mess over again. He says he's fine, but I can tell he's hurting."
Malone was sitting at the bottom of the steps when the others emerged. He quickly hurried to the entrance to greet them. He tried to hide the grimace as pain lanced across his chest.
"The sooner we leave this place the better," Challenger said as they left without glancing back.
They were nearly back to the Treehouse when Veronica called a halt.
"Now what?" Marguerite started to complain, but stopped when she saw Malone sitting on a large rock. He was clutching his chest with blood seeping through his fingers. His face had paled considerably and he was sweating.
"How did you manage to reopen this?" Challenger asked as he undid Ned's shirt and bandage to look at the wound.
Roxton had a guilty look on his face as he found a clean cloth in Challenger's pack. Ned opened his mouth to speak but grimaced instead when Challenger pressed the cloth to the wound.
"I'm afraid that might be my fault," the hunter said. He recalled when he had rushed past his two friends how Ned had stumbled and clutched at his chest. He had forgotten that his friend had also been wounded. Roxton took off his own shirt and handed it to Challenger.
"I'm afraid the stitches are going to need to be redone," Challenger said with a sigh.
"Oh, wonderful," Ned mumbled as Roxton helped him to his feet.
Veronica moved closer to Marguerite to help the older woman if she stumbled again. But since leaving the tunnels, both she and Challenger had been slowly recovering although neither would be fighting raptors any time soon.
"Well, since I'm the resident seamstress," Marguerite sighed. "I can make stitches small enough so there won't be much of a scar."
"Thanks," Ned replied as Roxton helped steady him.
"I'm sorry about this, Ned," Roxton told him.
"It's alright, Roxton," the journalist replied. "I probably would done the same thing if it had been Veronica. Besides, there's been enough guilt around today." Memories of another time before the Plateau came unbidden to the journalist's mind. But Ned managed to bury them again.
Roxton saw the play of emotion cross his friend's face but decided against questioning him for the now. Instead, he stayed close to his friend, offering a steady hand. The hunter kept glancing over to Marguerite as well. He was going to spend some time with each of his friends once they were well.
Ned was right. There had been enough guilt for one day.
(End Survivors added scene.)
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Episode Trophies
(This follows just after the fissure was closed by Avery's grenade and before they returned to the Treehouse.)
"It's going to be dark again soon," Challenger said as everyone got to their feet. "We should make our way back."
Now that the danger had passed and the adrenalin was subsiding, Ned leaned back against a tree. His head was still throbbing and he was feeling dizzy. Marguerite was the first to notice him.
"How's your head?" she asked.
"Like a T-Rex is stomping through it," he said sliding down to the ground. "I need a minute."
Challenger sat on his ankles for a moment trying to peer into Ned's eyes. He looked into one then the other.
"How long were you out for?" he asked.
"I don't know. I remember listening to Avery tell his goon how they were going to take Veronica back with them and the next thing I was waking up in a small dark hole with Marguerite." He couldn't stop a shudder when he recalled opening his eyes. It had been unnerving and reminded him too much of being in the trenches during the Great War.
"He only woke up a few minutes before you found us," Marguerite said, handing Challenger a moistened cloth. She recalled her fear when Avery's henchman had dragged an unconscious Malone into the tent. She hadn't been able to tell if he was breathing or when they had kicked his body into the hole. Her anxiety had increased when she couldn't wake him. She had been relieved when she heard him mumble her name. Then when Roxton and Challenger had found them, it had taken both men to help the journalist climb out of the hole. Then when they had been following Veronica's trail, he had hesitated a few times but he had insisted he was fine and had continued.
"You were out cold for almost two days?"
"I did find blood outside of their camp when I went to look for you," Veronica added.
Challenger turned Ned's head to the side and found a lump behind his ear, sticky blood on his skin and in his hair.
"Malone, how many fingers am I holding up?" he asked.
Ned looked at him through half open eyes. "Three?" he guessed.
Challenger frowned slightly. He was only holding two.
"You definitely have a concussion," he sighed. "We'll need to get you back to the Treehouse and into bed. You are going to stay there for a few days."
Ned made an annoyed face then tried to stand. But a wave of dizziness made him sit back down almost immediately. Challenger and Marguerite both offered hands to help him stand. Veronica took Ned's rifle from him and would walk behind them. Roxton was already carrying the packs and his own rifle in the lead.
"I'm sorry I couldn't warn all of you," Ned told them as they started walking.
"And we're sorry we didn't listen to you, Veronica," Roxton added. If they had they would have found Ned sooner and they wouldn't have almost lost their jungle hostess.
"Well, like I said earlier," she smiled slyly. "I guess you're all stuck here with me for a little longer".
(End added scene for "Trophies").
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Visitor 1
(Okay, I know there have been a few postings with this episode but this is my version of what I think should have happened.)
(This begins right after Ned changed back.)
Ned looked up into the smiling faces of his friend. He smiled back at them but he couldn't remember how he'd wound up on the floor.
"Would someone please tell me what happened?" he asked as Roxton offered a hand to help him sit up. He sat heavily on the small couch and rubbed at his sore chest. "What happened to Danu?"
His friends told him what had happened. He vaguely remembered the incredible heat, and faint memories of nightmares. For a moment an image of Marguerite's face came to him. But why would she be afraid of him?
"I'm sorry about Danu," he said when they had finished. He saw the distant look on Veronica's face as she shrugged and walked away.
Slowly he got to his feet and followed after her.
"I shouldn't have teased you about your friends," he said.
"I'm sorry, too," she said after they hugged briefly.
"For what?"
"I should have told you about Danu. I never meant to mislead you. I hadn't seen him in years and didn't know if I ever would."
Ned hugged her again. "Don't worry about it. Just remember, I'm here now and all we have is right now."
Veronica looked into his eyes for a moment before hugging him tightly.
(End scene one to "The Visitor")
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Visitor 2
(Another scene from "The Visitor")
Dinner was a quiet affair tonight. Veronica ate lightly before she wanted to go to her room. Ned kept casting glances to Marguerite. He still had the image of the brunette being afraid of him. She hadn't given any details of when he'd been alone with her and he couldn't remember.
After dinner, Ned followed her onto the balcony. She was startled when she turned to face him.
"I didn't hear you coming, Malone," she said in a tentative voice.
"Sorry if I startled you," he replied. He shook his head. "What happened earlier? Or last night? Or whenever? What did I do that has you so nervous around me?"
Marguerite shook her head. "Nothing happened."
"Then why do I keep getting this picture in my head of you afraid of me?"
She chuckled at that. "Me, afraid of you? Are you sure you didn't hit your head? What would I have to be afraid of from you?"
Ned took a step closer to her and she instinctively stepped back.
"See. Just tell me. I need to know."
"You tried to attack me," she finally snapped.
He stared at her and she truly regretted the shame in his expression.
"Did I hurt you? What did I do? God, Marguerite, I am so sorry. I, I don't remember what I did."
"You didn't do anything," she assured him. "I threw you out before you could."
"Marguerite, I really don't remember anything. But I am sorry for whatever I did."
She shook her head. In the past, she might have taken advantage of such regret from someone, but this was one of those times, she couldn't. Ned looked so miserable as he tried to apologize for something he wasn't responsible for.
"Well, I guess it's only fair," she said. "I went after you when we were turned into animals. I don't remember much of that either but I know you ran from me."
He started laughing. "I remember that."
Marguerite glanced to make sure no one was watching them before she gave him a quick hug.
"Apology accepted but not necessary. But if you ever come after me again, I will have to really hurt you."
He looked into her face for a moment until he realized she was joking.
"But then you'd have to answer to Veronica."
"Well, then let's call us even."
(End scene for "The Visitor")
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Missing Scene: The Knife
(This follows after the explorers threw the knife into the volcano.)
After the group made their way back to the Treehouse, Ned excused himself to his room. He was still shaken by the images he'd seen each time he had gripped that knife. The journalist had let Challenger convince him to keep taking the knife in his hand to try solving the mystery of Jack the Ripper's identity. The scientist had been right… but the images of those five murdered women were still fresh in his mind and he couldn't shake them.
He poured water into the basin on his nightstand, gently washing his face. As he reached for a towel he peered into the mirror and for a moment his vision blurred and he thought he saw the face of Marguerite dressed as Mary Jane Kelly. He cried out at the bloody image and stepped away. He closed his eyes against the image but more images came to his mind. Faces of other women that were also covered in blood.
Ned could feel his heart pounding inside his chest as he tried to control the images and he couldn't seem to catch his breath. He screamed as he felt hands on him and someone calling his name. All at once the images stopped and he found himself sinking to his knees.
"Ned, you're safe in the Treehouse," Veronica was gently brushing his hair as he opened his eyes.
"Steady, Malone, take deep breathes," Challenger was beside him with his stethoscope. "Easy there. That's it."
Roxton and Marguerite were hovering nearby with looks of concern on their faces. The journalist was still shaking as Challenger helped him lean back against the bed. Slowly Ned's breathing came under control but he could still feel his heart racing.
"I…keep seeing their faces," he stammered as Veronica wiped his face with a cool cloth. "I can't stop seeing them, the blood…it's everywhere. I can hear them screaming…" he sat up quickly as his eyes grew wide. "There were more than five."
"What?" Roxton asked. "But the Ripper only killed five women."
Ned adamantly shook his head. "No. I saw more faces. At least four more."
"But how? You weren't even holding the knife," Veronica frowned holding his hand. The events of the past few days had been especially hard on the journalist. Roxton had mostly recovered from the drug the Inspector had given the hunter and no one had suffered any physical injuries beyond a few bruises. But Ned…he had seen through the killer's eyes…he had seen the victims being murdered and now would have to live with those gruesome images the rest of his life.
"Perhaps the knife left images on your mind just as you tossed it away," Challenger theorized as he patted the journalist on the shoulder. "But there is the possibility there might have been more victims of those killers. There were several other brutal murders in the Whitechapel area that are as yet unsolved. At the time, police were unable to link these other murders to Jack the Ripper but were just as brutal."
Veronica looked at Ned who was closing his eyes and leaning back against the bed. He was still shaking slightly .His breathing suddenly picked up and he scrambled to his feet in a near panic.
"I keep seeing them," he exclaimed. "I can't stop seeing the blood on them…on me. I keep seeing all of you mixed with them."
Marguerite stepped closer. "What if when you saw us, your visions were trying to warn you that we were all in danger?"
"That is a possibility," Roxton added. He came forward to help his friend sit on the edge of the bed as Veronica brought Ned a glass of water. "Didn't you say these images came at nearly the same time Gaul and Anderson were with us?"
"That is most interesting," Challenger added. He sighed inwardly as he studied Ned. He had pressed the journalist each time into picking up that bloody knife and each time Ned had a violent image of his friends blurred with images of the murder victims and the killers. Each time Ned was left feeling ill and justifiably terrified by the images.
"Please stop talking about murders," Ned replied in a shaky voice. "I want it to stop. I…I don't want to see any more of this. Please."
Veronica looked into Ned's face, seeing the exhaustion in his eyes. "Why don't you get some rest and try not to think about it for now?" She looked to Challenger and added. "There's a tea my parents used to make for me whenever I had bad dreams. It's written down in the small red journal in the kitchen. That should help."
Challenger agreed and ushered the others from the room. Ned was still shaking slightly as Veronica held his hand. The scientist found the red journal and set about brewing the tea. He was feeling a bit of guilt for when he had pressured Ned into picking up the knife, the scientist had been fueled by both curiosity over Ned's seemingly new found abilities as well as solving the mystery of Jack the Ripper. But he hadn't stopped to consider the lasting effects it would have on the journalist. Despite the satisfaction of having solved the mystery and ending the Ripper's murder spree, now the mild journalist would have to live with those horrid images for the rest of his life. Challenger wondered if he had pushed the younger man too hard this time.
The scientist returned to Ned's room to find the journalist much calmer than before and handed the hot tea to Veronica. She briefly glanced at him before returning her focus on Ned.
"Get some rest, Ned," Challenger said patting his friend on the shoulder. "Perhaps over the next few days you can help me with a potential new way to fly the balloon. Nothing too terribly exciting."
"Sounds fine to me," Ned replied as he sipped the tea. "I've had enough excitement for a little while."
Veronica took the cup once he had finished and stayed with him until she was certain he was sound asleep. Later that night, Ned had another dream. Again it was Marguerite dressed as Mary Jane Kelley, but this time there was no blood.
"We wanted to thank you," she told him. "You have helped to set us free that we may no longer haunt this world."
"How was I able to see you in the first place?" he asked her. "And why me?"
"When you were returned to the real world from the spirit realm part of you was still adjusting to the shifts in reality. This ability will fade and you will no longer have these images. There will be no more visions."
Ned hesitated before asking one more question. "What about the dead soldiers I saw? I haven't told anyone about them yet."
"That is a question to be answered at another time," Mary Jane smiled at him as she began to slowly fade from sight. "Thank you, journalist and be at peace."
She reached out to touch his face as she disappeared and he closed his eyes. There were no more images of blood or dead women and the images of dead soldiers faded from his mind...for now.
A/N: This last scene for "The Knife" is one I have wanted to do for some time now. I have always wondered what effects those images would have had on Ned. Also it has never been confirmed if those five women were the Ripper's only victims but they were his best known. There were several other horrific murders around the same time, none of which has ever been solved. As Ned said in this episode may the lesson of the Ripper be that we never forget so I would like to dedicate this last scene to those five women: Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelley.