Monday, March 26, 2007

The Enemy Within VI

12. INT. BEDROOM (NIGHT)

A typical bedroom of the period, clearly not lived in. There are several suitcases in the corner. THEODORE is leaning back in a chair, speaking on the brand new/old fashioned telephone. He is quite alone, but speaks just above a whisper. He is, however, not worried or afraid. He’s even smirking.

THEODORE
You should learn to relax, Falstaff. The matter is in hand even now. I do so hope you’ve been checking up the stock price of diamonds? Of course it will be reliable. I’m a jeweler, aren’t I? Yes, if you think you being a money lender gives you some sort of power in this relationship, you couldn’t be more wrong. You’ll take what you are given or... well, I don’t want to ruin the surprise. But it does take a leaf from your own book of how to deal with non-payment of debts. But with a few... additions of my own design. Sweet dreams.

Chuckling cruelly, he takes out a leather bound diary.

THEODORE
Yes, that WAS a threat. Well spotted. I do hope we understand each other...

Theodore frowns.

THEODORE
Falstaff? Speak up, man, I can barely hear you? Falstaff? Hello?

He bangs the receiver against the wall and listens to it.

THEODORE
Operator? Hello? HELLO!

He is about to hang up when he hears a noise we will know as the thing outside, a rasping gasp. Theodore is no longer confident.

THEODORE
Who’s there?

The rasping voice is heard, but the words cannot be made out. Theo is thoughtful.

THEODORE
WHAT are you?

A loud rasp.

DANIEL (VO)
Hello, Theo.

THEODORE
Daniel?! How did you get to Falstaff’s? Or is this some trick with the phones?

DANIEL (VO)
Do you know what it is like to burn, Theodore? To be struck down before your time? Do feel your flesh writhe in front of your eyes like an agonizing illusion? Or to choke on the cyanide dusted in your shot glass? Do you have any idea?

Theo, who has been listening with mounting concern, suddenly turns cold.

THEODORE
Say that again, and you’ll be the second tragedy tonight.

The voice chuckles.

DANIEL (VO)
Sorry, too late. You can’t get me now.

THEODORE
You underestimate me.

DANIEL (VO)
And you me. I’m coming to get you, Theo.

THEODORE
Oh, really? Where are you?

DANIEL (VO)
In the woods.

THEODORE
In the woods?!

DANIEL (VO)
You and I will go for a walk soon. Down by the lake... And poor Theo mysteriously went for a swim that night... With a cloth bag tied over his head...

Suddenly afraid, Theodore slams down the phone.


13. INT. DRAWING ROOM (NIGHT)

Tracey sits near the fire, a blanket around her. She’s in shock. Emily is watching over her. Next to her, looking even worse, is Maurice. The Doctor, Peri and the Colonel are still standing. The doors are closed.

EMILY
What happened to him?

PERI
We keep telling you, he ran off into the woods and he... he hanged himself.

COLONEL
So you brought the body back?

DOCTOR
No, you see...

PERI
Ask Tracey. That thing out there...

COLONEL
There’s nothing out there and my son is dead!

DOCTOR
I know.

COLONEL
He did not kill himself, he would never do something so cowardly...

DOCTOR
I agree.

The Doctor turns to address the others.

DOCTOR
Daniel took his own life. Not out of cowardice or depression or despair. He did it in the belief he would save the rest of us. Unfortunately, it seems, that we are still in danger. Daniel’s sacrifice didn’t save us. We have to save ourselves or he died for absolutely nothing.

EMILY
How do we know you’re telling the truth, huh? You could be lying!

PERI
We’re not lying!

MAURICE
Then how did Daniel’s body get all the way back inside the house?! You killed him indoors! You killed him and you’ll kill all of us!

PERI
Oh, stop whimpering! If we were going to do that, why waste all this time trying to convince you we’re on your side?

EMILY
Maurice is right. How do we know Daniel ever left?

The Colonel sighs.

COLONEL
The mud on his boots.

DOCTOR
Yes. You noticed that?

COLONEL
He’d been outside. And he came back in, the prints were on the carpet.

EMILY
So? They lead him outside, he came back in, and they killed him?

COLONEL
No. He was as stiff as a boulder and as heavy as a board... or something along those lines. He’d been dead for a while. They would have had to drag him back, and there’s no sign of that.

MAURICE
You don’t honestly think he killed himself?

A beat. Silence.

DOCTOR
He wasn’t a well man. You all know that.

TRACEY
Yes. He’s not been the same since he went for the walk down by the lake.

PERI
Lake? Looked more like a swamp to me.

EMILY
Well, we’re hardly going to call it that, are we?

MAURICE
Look, Daniel was just suffering a mild ague! He had his head in the clouds too much!

PERI
Do you really believe that?

All the strength seems to leave Maurice and he shakes his head.

COLONEL
All right, Doctor. Tell us what’s going on.

DOCTOR
First thing’s first. Is there anyone else outside? Groundsman, that sort of thing?

COLONEL
No. I don’t know where Pascoe’s got to, but it’s just us, him and Theo.

PERI
Well, where is Theo?

EMILY
Theo’s retired for the night.

PERI
But still, shouldn’t he hear this?

MAURICE
No need to disturb Theo! Just, just... tell us what’s going on.

DOCTOR
I can only try. Because, honestly, I’m not entirely sure.

The window panes rattle ever so slightly as the breeze becomes stronger. Everyone looks hard at the window, but there isn’t anything outside. The Doctor sighs.

DOCTOR
I suspect the story I tell you won’t calm your nerves. Or mine, for that matter.

PERI
Better get on with it anyway, Doctor.

DOCTOR
Yes. As far as I know, it all started several months ago at this estate. Daniel was going for a walk, when suddenly, and terribly, something took possession of his body...


14. INT. BEDROOM (NIGHT)

Theodore, disconcerted, is scribbling furiously in his diary. He finishes, dropping the pen as he locks it and then is ever-so-slightly relieved. He gets up and looks around the room, noticing how quiet it is. He crosses to the old fashioned radio set in the corner and snaps the switch down. There is a low buzz as it warms up. Theodore crosses over to the phone, unbuttoning his shirt. He’s getting ready for bed. He stops as he passes the phone and lifts the receiver. Silence.

THEODORE
Hello? Operator? Hello? Hello? ...Daniel?

Nothing. Shrugging, he hangs up. The rasping voice emerges from the radio, startling Theodore. It sharpens enough us to make out the words.

THE VOICE (VO)
All the land... turns to dust... and crumbs... when... something wicked... this way... comes... coming closer... so close...

Theodore runs over to the radio and switches off the radio. The voice continues.

THE VOICE (VO)
I’m waiting in the dark... and when you die... I shall live...

A rasping laugh that suddenly fades out. Silence. Eyes wide, Theo backs away from the radio. A loud clicking. Theodore spins to look at the closed door. He crosses to it and turns the handle. Nothing. It’s locked.

THEODORE
Hey! Who’s out there? Pascoe! Pascoe! Unlock this door now! PASCOE!!

His hair and clothes are suddenly stirred by a breeze. He shivers and turns to see the windows are now open. The curtains blow and dance like a living thing. Theodore crosses over to the windows and is about to close them when he notices something. There is frost forming on the edges of the window. A scream in the distance.


15. EXT. OUTSIDE THE MANOR (NIGHT)

We zoom out from the window. There are fewer lights on behind the windows. The area is very dark. Something is watching the figure of Theo. It turns and moves off into the wood, pushing through the shrubs and small trees with gathering speed and fury. It emerges to the other side of the manor. It slows to a halt.


15. INT. DRAWING ROOM (NIGHT)

As before. The Doctor is now staring into the fire.

DOCTOR
...so it appears.

TRACEY
Why us? Why come here? What have we done wrong?

MAURICE
Maybe it wants our money?

COLONEL
Don’t be pathetically stupid, Maurice, what would ghosts want with money?

PERI
Rich family, are you?

COLONEL
Self-made fortune, Miss Brown. And it stays in this family.

DOCTOR
Either way, I think Daniel was chosen by accident. Anyone near this entity would have been a viable target. Now, the intelligence in Daniel’s mind was not destroyed when Daniel died. Daniel was – and now the intelligence alone inhabits his body.

EMILY
But he’s dead.

DOCTOR
Yes. And decaying. Soon it won’t be in any state for this ‘Dominus’ to do anything.

MAURICE
So what is this thing you say attacked you outside?

PERI
Well, it’s uh... Over to you, Doctor.

DOCTOR
I believe that it is a plasmaton.

COLONEL
What’s that? Sounds foreign.

DOCTOR
It is a collection of random elements – air particles, leaf, dirt, mud, all combined for form a shape solely at the behest of a living mind.

MAURICE
A ghost?

DOCTOR
Must you use that sort of outdated terminology? This thing has created a back up body, using all the energy it has taken from Daniel.

EMILY
And us.

PERI
What do you mean?

EMILY
It’s so cold. That’s how the ghosts get their strength, isn’t it?

DOCTOR
Possibly. I admit, the temperature has been dropping rather erratically.

COLONEL
So, what do we do now we’ve got this angry spirit prowling around?

DOCTOR
Stay calm. If we don’t provide it with any nourishment, we...

The lights flicker, dim and then return to their normal brightness.

DOCTOR
...then we should be able to...

THE VOICE (VO)
Release me... RELEASE ME!

All bar the Doctor look up fearfully at the ceiling.

DOCTOR
Not now, I’m afraid, so let the living converse in peace.

Silence.

DOCTOR
See? Or rather, hear? Basic intimidation techniques trying to get the biggest amount of fear out of us to feed him. We stay calm and this ‘Dominus’ has no power.

The rasping laughter begins. The Doctor rolls his eyes.

DOCTOR
Be still my beating hearts.

EMILY
Hearts?

The windows bang as something slams against them. This time, Peri and the Colonel don’t flinch either. The others do. The Doctor strides over to the windows and pulls aside the curtains. There is nothing outside.

DOCTOR
I can think of worse ways to spend the night – but none more pathetic.

The laughter fades to silence.

DOCTOR
As I was saying. Now, this estate is a very large place. This evil, whatever it is, is a single, solitary manifestation. It is ALONE. We, however, are not. As long as we stay together and keep calm, we’ll get out of this.

PERI
How? That thing is trying to kill us!

DOCTOR
Yes, and it has no substance. No physical form.

MAURICE
So it IS a ghost?

DOCTOR
All right, all right, call it a ghost. All it can do is scare us. And when you know something is hiding in the shadows with the sole intention of jumping out and scaring you, that is forewarned and forearmed.

EMILY
How?

COLONEL
It needs our fear. That is what you’re saying?

The Doctor rolls his eyes.

DOCTOR
Yes. Perhaps it’s feeding off our emotions, or maybe just being sadistic. Either way, refusing to give into fear is the obvious solution.

PERI
Easier than it sounds.

COLONEL
I don’t know. I think it’s rather exhilarating.

The Doctor draws the curtains back then stops and looks at his hands. They are covered with blood. He is unimpressed

DOCTOR
You can do better than that!

MAURICE
It’s happening again! Like in the hallway!

PERI
What happened out there?

MAURICE
You don’t understand, do you! You can’t just close your eyes and ignore it – it’ll just kill you and flay you alive!

DOCTOR
Peri, do the honors.

PERI
My pleasure.

She slaps Maurice hard. He whimpers.

MAURICE
Why do people keep doing that to me?

DOCTOR
When you work it out, they’ll stop. What did you see?


16. HALLWAY

Something is looking down at the wardrobe. A small, drying patch of blood has leaked out of it. We hear the thing breathing as it suddenly hurries further down the hallway and turning back to see as the Doctor emerges from the drawing room. The others follow, the Colonel supporting Tracey.

MAURICE
It’s true, I swear it is all true.

PERI
Then where’s the blood, Maurice? You said there was lakesworth of it.

DOCTOR
Don’t blame Maurice. Perceptual distortion by our ectoplasmic enemy to frighten you.

MAURICE
It pushed me down the steps...

COLONEL
You fell. You’ve done it before. You’re a pratt.

EMILY
And you didn’t cut yourself, so there was no blood.

MAURICE
Excuse me, haven’t you been listening? This house is haunted! Haunted by the ghosts of...

The Doctor frowns and moves in the direction the thing took. However, he stops by the wardrobe and looks at the puddle. He sighs.

DOCTOR
Not entirely smoke and mirrors, though.

TRACEY
What?

The Doctor opens the doors. His expression falters. He closes them.

DOCTOR
Something nasty in the wood shed.

PERI
How nasty?

DOCTOR
The rest of the fox.

PERI
Right. That nasty.

DOCTOR
Yes, this Dominus twisted Maurice’s perceptions so this small puddle of animal blood turned into a biblical tide of hemoglobin. Not particularly imaginative, but effective.

EMILY
If it was trying to frighten him, then why did it write that message?

DOCTOR
What message?

MAURICE
Like algebra... in blood on the walls.

PERI
Algebra? Yeah, I’m not surprised if that scares you.

MAURICE
It was the blood that scared me, not the writing!

DOCTOR
What did it say? Quickly, man, this is important.

The thing in the shadows watches them. It moves across the hall, hiding beside the wardrobe to peer better at the group.

MAURICE
I don’t know, it was some kind of equation.

DOCTOR
What was it?

MAURICE
I can’t remember, something equaling something else times four.

PERI
Not exactly ‘redrum’, is it?

The Doctor pulls out a notepad and a pen. He hands them to Maurice.

DOCTOR
Write it down. Now.

Meekly, Maurice takes the pad and pen and starts doodling. The others are facing the stairs, with only Tracey still looking at the other wall.

DOCTOR
If this creature deliberately left us a message, it would be polite for it to leave the message with a reliable source.

TRACEY
Doctor...

DOCTOR
It might be starting to make mistakes, and if it is, that means Daniel’s death is affecting it more than we realized. It might already be breaking down...

TRACEY
Doctor!

DOCTOR
What is it?

Tracey points. They turn and look on the wall behind them. Scratched through the wallpaper and into the stone itself is the formula:

a=Bx4

The Doctor’s face turns blank.

DOCTOR
Change of plan. We leave now.

PERI
What does it mean? Doctor?

DOCTOR
Colonel, do you think you could get us safely down by the river, opposite the other side of the bridge?

COLONEL
Why?

DOCTOR
Can you?

COLONEL
Should think so. Lived here thirty years...

DOCTOR
Then we’re going.

EMILY
We can’t leave without Theo!

DOCTOR
Then we’ll take him with us. Come on, stay together.

The Doctor runs up the steps. The others follow.

PERI (VO)
But what does it mean, Doctor? Doctor? What does it mean?

We pan across to the wall. The scratches now read:

I AM DOMINUS

The croaking rasp begins again.


17. INT. UPPER LANDING (NIGHT)

The Doctor, Peri, Emily, Maurice, Tracey and the Colonel turn the corner into vision. The Doctor strides down the corridor.

PERI
Doctor, what did that mean to...

He ignores her and turns to Emily.

DOCTOR
Which room?

EMILY
End one on the right.

DOCTOR
Good. THEODORE! WAKEY WAKEY!

They head over to the door and the Doctor tries it.

DOCTOR
Locked.

COLONEL
Pascoe has the key.

DOCTOR
Yes, but as we have no idea where he is, I’m sure you won’t mind me forcing it open?

He produces the sonic screwdriver with a magician’s flourish out of thin air.

EMILY
What is that?

DOCTOR
Invaluable.

The Doctor zaps the lock and tries the doorknob and this time it opens. He barges through and stops dead.

DOCTOR
Theo?


18. INT. BEDROOM (NIGHT)

The others follow the Doctor into the room. There is no sign of Theo. The window is still open. The Doctor crosses to it and peers out.

MAURICE
Where... he was in here! I saw him!

EMILY
Yes, why lock the door after leaving?

DOCTOR
He didn’t. He was locked in.

PERI
Who by?

DOCTOR
By whom. And I think that either “Dominus” has mastered basic psychokinesis or else... well, Pascoe didn’t seem very happy with his lot, did he?

COLONEL
What are you dribbling about? I’ve known Pascoe for fifty years – he’s unimpeachable.

DOCTOR
When he’s in his normal state of mind?

PERI
You’re saying the ghost has got to him?

DOCTOR
Maybe. But look. No signs of violence, or struggle or even poltergeist activity. Theo climbed out the window.

COLONEL
Sensible, I suppose. I mean, if he had been locked in...

PERI
But, Doctor, that means he’s out there, with that –

The scream is distantly heard.

DOCTOR
I’m afraid so.

EMILY
We’ve got to get out there and help him!

DOCTOR
How? We have no idea where he’s got to, or even if the plasmaton hasn’t already... well, done what it intends to do to us.

MAURICE
The Doctor’s right. We ought to stay here.

DOCTOR
Yes. But I’m not going to stay with you. Peri – you’re in charge. The rest of you stay together. No wandering off, no panicking, and should any screaming wraiths appear, feel free to indulge in an impromtu exorcism.

The Doctor strides out. The others struggle to follow.

PERI
No, no, Doctor, you can’t go out there! It’s not safe!

DOCTOR
If Theo’s out there, I’ll find him. I learnt tracking skills from Musk the Mighty, Kalahari bushmen and a very capable boy scout I once met on Venus...


19. INT. UPPER LANDING (NIGHT)

The Doctor is heading back the way he came.

DOCTOR
Besides, I think it’s time we went on the offensive. I never have and most likely never will ever believe in...

He slows to a halt.

DOCTOR
...ghosts.

Standing at the far end of the landing is a silhouette. It is hard to make out and could just be someone in long, Grim Reaper-like black robes that completely hide their identity. Or it could be a roughly-humanoid black hole. Total silence. The Doctor stares at the figure, but it remains impossible to focus on. Peri and Maurice enter.

PERI
Doctor, you can’t just...

She flinches as she sees the spectre. Maurice stares at it, shakes his head and runs back the way he came. The Doctor takes a step back and the silhouette moves forward a pace.

PERI
Doctor...

DOCTOR
Shush.

The Doctor crosses to the left side of the landing. The silhouette copies his exact moves without sound. The Doctor returns to the right side. The silhouette mimics him.

DOCTOR
Well. This is interesting.

He drops to a whisper.

DOCTOR
Don’t move an inch, Peri.

He speaks to the spectre and slowly begins to approach it. The spectre does not move.

DOCTOR
As I was saying, I don’t believe in ghosts. I’ve met so many, of course. But they were never ghosts. Never proper ones. They were always temporal echoes, or parallel timelines, or the strange old man from the amusement park across the road. I’ve never met a genuine spirit from beyond the grave before. And I haven’t now, have I?

The Doctor stops before the black shape. They are just beside the staircase leading down to the hallway.

DOCTOR
Cat got your tongue?

Silence.

DOCTOR
All right. Start from the beginning. I am the Doctor, and you are...?

Silence. He sighs and reaches out a hand to lean on the banister rail. The spectre reaches out a black appendage to mimic the Doctor’s pose. A sudden rippling noise, like a snatch of TARDIS in flight. The Doctor’s eyes widen in alarm. A brittle creaking noise – the whole banister is now rotted through, ancient and mildewed. Before the Doctor can react, the wood crumbles under his weight.

PERI
DOCTOR!!

The Doctor falls down and partially through the landing, crying out.


20. INT. HALLWAY (NIGHT)

The Doctor crashes into the floor amidst a hail of rotting timber, carpet and several bits of objets d’art that got in the way. He rolls onto his back, covered in dust and grit, coughing with clear pain.


21. INT. UPPER LANDING (NIGHT)

Peri, her worry overriding her fear, runs over to the gaping hole in the walkway that blocks the path to the staircase. She stops dead as she realizes the spectre has vanished, but forces herself to focus.

PERI
Doctor? Doctor are you all right?


22. INT. HALLWAY (NIGHT)

The Doctor manages to sit up, weakly knocking aside debris.

DOCTOR
Peri... Get back to the others!

PERI (VO)
What about you?

DOCTOR
So far, same face! Now go!


23. INT. UPPER LANDING (NIGHT)

Peri nods and straightens up. The spectre stands on the other side of the chasm. She flinches, but keeps her ground.

PERI
Just between the two of us, Caspar... If you hurt him, they will write very LONG history texts about what I do to you.

She turns and hurries off. The spectre watches her go.

- to be continued...

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