Thursday, March 8, 2007

The Twin Dilemma IV

29. EXT. GARDENS – NEAR EXIT (NIGHT)

The remaining Jacondans run across the open clearing towards Azmael's TARDIS. Two squadmembers appear over the hill and open fire. One Jacondan falls dead, the others scatter and return fire. Another member runs into view – and immediately falls dead, shot by the injured Jacondan, who himself is shot in the back by the latest human guard to arrive. More gunfire and another alarm.


30. EXT. GARDENS – NEAR WALL (NIGHT)

The Doctor is trying to slow down enough for Peri to keep up. Hugo is not far behind them. He fires a warning shot through the trees. Peri cries out and they run onwards.


31. IN. SPECIAL INCIDENTS ROOM (NIGHT)

The alarms have been muted but red lights are still flashing. Elena is checking several displays but they show nothing but static. GENERAL FABIAN enters – a gruff-looking man in a rumbled uniform, asleep only moments earlier and never a ray of sunshine.

FABIAN
Elena, what the hell's going on?

ELENA
The security grid detected weapons fire on...

FABIAN
I know that. Sitrep!

Elena flips more channels. More static. She's not paying full attention.

ELENA
Sorry?

FABIAN
Situation report, Elena.

He's in a mean mood. Elena gives him her full attention.

ELENA
We believe there's a kidnap attempt on the Sylvest Twins, General. Lieutenant Lang has already taken a squad up to the gardens and they are now engaged in a battle with believed extraterrestrial insurgents.

FABIAN
And why are half the surveillance systems offline?

ELENA
Unknown. It's like some kind of electro-magnetic pulse.

FABIAN
Impossible. Containment systems would still be functioning.

Elena's getting frantic.

ELENA
General, I...

FABIAN
I know. Keep looking into it. Have another squadron sent up to the roof. Have orbital defences realigned - they're not leaving this atmosphere. And get that drunken moron "Professor" Sylvest up here!

More operatives scurry to obey. Fabian crosses to an intimidating machine and punches in a code. A red light flashes. Fabian is incandescent with rage.

FABIAN
No coffee?! That imbecile Lang's drunk it all again!!


32. EXT. GARDENS – NEAR TARDIS (NIGHT)

Gunfire, alarms, flashes can be heard and seen. The Doctor runs up to the TARDIS and tries the door. Locked. He moves to his pocket, then realizes he's no longer wearing his old clothes. He frantically checks his pockets, then FOR pockets. Peri catches up.

PERI
Oh, God, they're gonna shoot us, aren't they? Why does everyone want to kill us?

DOCTOR
If this is going to be another complaint about my clothes...

As he speaks he checks his waistcoat – success! There's the key!

DOCTOR
Obvious place! Well, not obvious but...

Hugo strides out of the bushes behind them.

HUGO
One more move and you're both dead.

DOCTOR
Does that mean you don't want us to raise our hands in surrender?

HUGO
No! But do it anyway!

The Doctor and Peri raise their hands. Hugo advances on them.

HUGO
You are both under arrest. Any attempt at escape or resistance and you will both be summarily executed. You will remain silent until given a direct order to speak. Anything you say will be taken down and used in a court of law against you. Anything you don't say will harm your defense. Do you understand?

DOCTOR
Do you care?

HUGO
Not particularly.

Peri's distraught.

PERI
Why can't you just leave us alone?!

HUGO
You wouldn't be resisting arrest would you?

He aims his pistol at Peri. The Doctor tenses to move. A Jacondan steps out of the shadows in the background, raises his weapon and fires. Struck in the back, Hugo spins, screams and drops his weapon. He falls into the Doctor's arms as the Jacondan fires again.

DOCTOR
Peri! Quickly! My key!

Peri snatches the key and unlocks the TARDIS door. Another shot strikes the corner of the police box as they hurry inside. The Jacondan runs towards them.


33. INT. TARDIS CONTROL ROOM (DAY)

The Doctor drags Hugo inside the ship. Peri runs to the console. There is another gunshot. An explosion on the console.

DOCTOR
Close the doors, Peri!

Peri slams down the lever. The doors swing shut.


34. EXT. GARDENS – NEAR TARDIS (NIGHT)

The door to the police box slams shut. The Jacondan bangs on it angrily, then turns and runs back to the main fight.


35. EXT. GARDENS – NEAR EXIT (NIGHT)

Only two troopers are left alive. One dies as a Jacondan shoots him, the other stabbed as the new-arrived Jacondan stabs her. Just then the exit door bounces open and a fresh squad of troopers arrives. There is a volley of gunfire.


36. INT. TARDIS CONTROL ROOM (DAY)

Peri watches the scanner. They can hear the same volley of gunfire. The Doctor rolls Hugo on to the recovery position. A little blood seeps from the wound in his back. The Doctor grimaces.

DOCTOR
For a self-cauterized wound, that can't be good.

He rises and run for the door.

DOCTOR
Peri, do what you can for him! I'll try and find the medical kit!

PERI
He tried to kill us!

DOCTOR
Yes, and now we're saving him!

The Doctor leaves. Peri crosses to Hugo and checks him over. She sighs.

PERI
I'm not sure I'm up to this any more... What did he think he was doing with that knife?


37. EXT. GARDENS – NEAR EXIT (NIGHT)

Only three Jacondans are left standing. By the time they return fire, there are only two.


37. INT. AZMAEL'S TARDIS (DAY)

On the scanner another Jacondan drops dead. Then the last. The troopers advance.

DRAK
We must leave at once.

NOMA
Can they penetrate your ship, Azmael?

AZMAEL
No. We're safe where we are at present, but we cannot leave the bodies behind. It won't be long before they are identified as Jacondans.

NOMA
Then we must deal with all the witnesses.

AZMAEL
You alone, Noma?

NOMA
Drak will join me.

Drak is not eager after seeing his comrades butchered.

DRAK
Will I?

NOMA
Yes. And you as well.

AZMAEL
I am not combat-trained and I am needed to pilot my ship. The twins are of no use. This wonderful plan of Jaconda's New Master has done nothing more than kill innocents and plunge the rest of us into an interplanetary war!

A strange glassy look swamps Noma. He speaks with a strange undertone.

NOMA
Is that so, Azmael?

Azmael stares at Noma in shock.

AZMAEL
You...


38. INT. PALACE THRONE ROOM (DAY)

A circular, blurred, fish-eyed view of events inside Anzor's TARDIS hangs above the throne room. The Master of Jaconda is still unseen. Noma's voice echoes the Master's.

MASTER/NOMA
Yes, Azmael. There is nowhere you can go that I cannot follow.

AZMAEL
You underestimate my TARDIS.

MASTER/NOMA
You overestimate yourself!

AZMAEL
It doesn't change the fact that the humans will declare war on Jaconda.

The Master of Jaconda laughs easily.

MASTER/NOMA
You never did understand, did you, Time Lord? My power is beyond yours. I am everywhere.


39. EXT. GARDENS – NEAR EXIT (NIGHT)

We see the troopers prodding the corpses of the Jacondans.

MASTER (VO)
And I can do ANYTHING.

One of the Jacondans' eyes pop open. Meanwhile, the new squad leader GABBI is talking into her handheld communicator.

GABBI
Hello? General? Are you receiving me?

Static, but just through it can be heard:

FABIAN (VO)
Barely. What is the situation?

GABBI
All insurgents are dead. The first squad has been killed.

FABIAN (VO)
All of them?

GABBI
We haven't found Lieutenant Lang or Sergeant Andrews.

FABIAN (VO)
Leave them for the moment. I want you to...

The static grows worse.

GABBI
Sorry, General. You're breaking up. Please repeat!

More static.

FABIAN (VO)
I want you to check for the...

The static becomes a strange, sinister chuckling noise. It laughs mockingly. Frowning, Gabbi switches off the communicator and the noise stops. She's confused and scared.

GABBI
What is going on?!

She switches it back on again. The laughter continues. She switches it off. The laughter can still be heard.

SQUADDIE 2
Lieutenant!

Gabbi turns and sees the Jacondans are getting unsteadily to their feet. The gunshot injuries are still visible. They are all chuckling and laughing, getting louder and more hysterical with each instant.

GABBI
Oh my god...

MASTER (VO – ECHOES)
Anything...


40. INT. AZMAEL'S TARDIS (DAY)

On the scanner, the zombie Jacondans are visible. Azmael is aghast.

AZMAEL
That... that is impossible!

MASTER/NOMA
Not for me.

DRAK
Have you brought them back to life, Master?

MASTER/NOMA
Briefly. There will be no witnesses.

Noma turns to watch.

MASTER/NOMA
After all, you cannot kill what is already dead.


41. EXT. GARDENS – NEAR EXIT (NIGHT)

The Jacondans begin to sway in the direction of the troopers.

GABBI
Uh, open fire!

A volley of gunfire. Two Jacondans fall over, but get back up again, laughing even harder. It is clear it is the laughter of the Master of Jaconda being heard through their mouths. Another volley. One of them grabs a trooper and twists his head, breaking his neck. Two troopers concentrate their fire on that Jacondan and he falls but continues to laugh. The rest of the troopers back away as another guard is killed. Gabbi switches on her communicator. The laughter becomes even louder.

GABBI
General Fabian! Elena! Can anyone hear me! Urgent assistance required immediately!

She turns and screams. Because behind her, the corpses of her erstwhile colleagues have got to their feet and are swaying drunkenly. They are laughing loudly too.


42. INT. SPECIAL INCIDENTS ROOM (NIGHT)

Static fills all the screens. The laughter is just audible.

FABIAN
The communicators are packing up now. Is the flyer squad on its way?

ELENA
They have an ETA of three minutes.

FABIAN
Laxity. This is a shambles!

Fabian turns around. Archie Sylvest sits at a chair, looking hungover.

FABIAN
And you are responsible, Sylvest! Not only did you start all this, the moment we need you you're gone down to the nearest Voxnic bar with the husband of the woman you've been flirting with for the last two months instead of doing your job!

Sylvest peers up at him, distracted. His voice is slurred.

SYLVEST
Have you met Vestal Smith?

FABIAN
Is this relevant?!

SYLVEST
She is very deep. Deep warmth. Deep understanding. Even deeper blue eyes.

FABIAN
Sylvest! At what level are the Twins at?

SYLVEST
The Voxnic was flowing freely and she was so understanding... And then her husband turned up. Took a lake of Voxnic to convince him it was all platonic, innocent and perfectly reasonable. And then he wanted a hundred thousand credits! Why doesn't anyone trust me, nowadays? I'm respectable, I am, dead respectabibble...

Fabian turns extremely sinister and glares into Sylvest's drink-fuddled eyes.

FABIAN
Sylvest. Either you answer the question or join the heap of corpses that tried to keep your precious Twins safe from harm. What is their current level?

Sylvest hiccups.

SYLVEST
Mathematically? They could destroy the universe!

He laughs along with the sinister laughter from the speakers. Fabian turns to Elena.

FABIAN
Find out what Gabbi's up to and the status in the garden, five minutes ago!


43. INT. TARDIS CONTROL ROOM (DAY)

The Doctor has Huge lying on his front with his shirt removes to reveal the injury and is adjusting a torch-like device with some probes. Peri stands around, wanting to help.

PERI
I think he's stopped breathing.

DOCTOR
Then I've got less than five minutes to fix this.

PERI
Fix what?

DOCTOR
I wanted a deep-healing beamer, but there's only this old laser scalpel. Trying to adjust the neutron flow, but the polarity's been reversed so many times I don't know which way it was going on originally. Oh, well, it's kill or cure.

He finished with the probe and switches it on. It shines a bright green light down on the blackened, hexagonal injury on Hugo's back.

DOCTOR
What's going on outside, Peri?

Glad to be distracted, Peri returns to the scanner which shows the forests outside.

PERI
The gunfire's stopped. So has that creepy laughter.

The Doctor adjusts the angle of the torch beam.

DOCTOR
What creepy laughter?

PERI
Maybe just my imagination. It's gone as quiet as the grave out there.

DOCTOR
Yes, Peri, we need to work on your confidence-building metaphors...


44. EXT. GARDENS – NEAR EXIT (NIGHT)

Gabbi lies dead, open eyes staring up blindly. We pull out to see she is amongst the bodies of her comrades. The rest of Hugo's squad is also dead once more. There is only a faint chuckle as the zombified Jacondans march into the trunk of Azmael's TARDIS.


45. INT. AZMAEL'S TARDIS (DAY)

Drak and Azmael watch on, unnerved as their dead team marches in through the door and begin to lie down in a corner, on top of each other. Finally the last Jacondan enters. Azmael closes the doors and starts powering up his TARDIS.

AZMAEL
Right. We must leave as soon as possible, before anyone else arrives up here.

DRAK
Wait – Imon is missing.

AZMAEL
Then he must still be out there.

NOMA/MASTER
If he is, he is dead.

AZMAEL
We can't take that risk! In either case, he'll lead them to Jaconda.

NOMA/MASTER
We have wasted enough time. Return to Jaconda at once. You will then use your miraculous craft to return and collect him before you left.

AZMAEL
That is difficult and dangerous.

NOMA/MASTER
You will do it.


46. INT. PALACE THRONE ROOM (DAY)

The throne is behind the spherical image of Azmael, seen through Noma's eyes.

AZMAEL
If I enter another time frame, you can't reach me!

MASTER/NOMA
I can still reach your friends and supporters. You may escape but they will not. And I will kill them one by one until you return.

AZMAEL
You wouldn't.

MASTER/NOMA
I would.

AZMAEL
You'll run out of people eventually.

MASTER/NOMA
Do as I command, Azmael!


47. INT. AZMAEL'S TARDIS (DAY)

Screwing up his eyes, Azmael nods and operates the controls. The time rotor begins to move, the engine noises begin. The Twins still sit, staring blankly ahead next to the heap of dead Jacondans. Noma returns to his normal self, unfazed.

NOMA
The Master of Jaconda will soon be the Master of Everything.

AZMAEL
Thanks to me.

NOMA
The Universe needs to be lead by him. He is Magnificent.

AZMAEL
He is merciless.


48. EXT. GARDENS – NEAR EXIT (NIGHT)

The familiar trumpeting noise emerges from the tree as it fades away. The noises continue just as the doorway slides open and a third group of troopers emerge and find the heap of dead squad members lying in the grass.

49. INT. TARDIS CONTROL ROOM (DAY)

The injury in Hugo's back is much smaller now. The Doctor continues to aim the torch at the wound. A lamp starts to flash on the console.

PERI
What's that noise?

DOCTOR
The time path indicator. The other time machine's on the move.

PERI
So what do we do?

DOCTOR
Hit the blue button under the light.

PERI
Hope you're not colour blind.

DOCTOR
Of course not. New pair of eyes working perfectly. You're complaining about my coat again, aren't you?

PERI
At least I couldn't lose you in those woods.

Peri hits the button. The time rotor moves and then the room shakes.


50. EXT. GARDENS – NEAR TARDIS (NIGHT)

Guards are moving through the trees when the TARDIS starts to dematerialize. One of them rushes forward in time to see it vanish. He boggles. Another guard arrives.

SQUADDIE 3
What was it?

SQUADDIE 4
Nothing... I think I had one to many Voxnic shots last night.

SQUADDIE 5 (VO)
Over here! We've found a body!

SQUADDIE 3
Come on.

The two guards hurry off in the direction of the wall where the missing Jacondan corpse is to be found.


51. INT. TARDIS CONTROL ROOM (DAY)

The room is dipping and swaying. The Doctor abandons Hugo and rushes over to the console.

PERI
What did I do? What did I do?

DOCTOR
Nothing. That time machine's maneuvering to disguise its real course. Just need to...

The room shudders one final time and then is still.

DOCTOR
There! We are now slaved to our quarry – where it goes, we go.

PERI
Is it always like this, Doctor?

DOCTOR
Oh, no, Peri. It's normally quite exciting.

Peri looks incredulous, then gets the joke. She laughs. The Doctor smiles.

DOCTOR
There, you see. We're all right. No gunshots, poisonings, madman... Androzani is the exception, not the rule.

PERI
What do you think happened there?

DOCTOR
Not sure. They were Jacondans, I’m certain of that. But they have nowhere near the intelligence or the technology to create a time machine and I'm fairly certain it's another TARDIS – which means it's one of my own people.

PERI
The Master?

DOCTOR
No, he's dead. Very dead. Burned to a crisp. No way he could have survived.

PERI
Speaking of survival, what about our friend?

DOCTOR
Oh. The patient.

The Doctor turns and they move towards the sprawled Hugo.

DOCTOR
Haven't finished, but repaired some of the damage. Enough to keep him on this mortal coil.

PERI
But what are we going to do with him?

DOCTOR
Well, once I've had a word with the owner of the other TARDIS, it should be easy enough to drop him off back home...

Hugo groans and rolls over. His hand snakes to his boot and finds a spare pistol.

HUGO
Where'm I? Where're the others?

DOCTOR
I don't know.

HUGO
Answer me... I'll...

With a grimace he aims the gun at the Doctor.

HUGO
Talk!

DOCTOR
About what? You can't do a thing. Your very life depends on my generosity so I suggest you lower the gun and start showing some respect.

He's going off again, getting angrier and angrier.

HUGO
I am... going to count to three...

DOCTOR
You have no power over me. All you can do is pull the trigger and hope I die. Hope that the fear of death will suddenly make me want to bow down to your whims.

PERI
Doctor, don't, he's serious.

DOCTOR
So am I, Peri. So am I.

He is now focussed on Hugo, who looks sick and pale.

DOCTOR
Today's probably the closest you've ever come to dying, isn't it? I died on that bit of floor a few hours ago. I've died more times than I care to remember – you think a half-dead thug with tunnel vision scares me. Drop the gun.

PERI
Doctor...

HUGO
I'm w-warning...

DOCTOR
DROP IT!!

Hugo closes his eyes and pulls the trigger. We hear the gunshot and Peri's scream.

PERI
DOCTOR!!!


(END OF EPISODE ONE)
(NEXT EPISODE: MESTOR THE MAGNIFICENT)
(ROLL END CREDITS)

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