The Apocalypse I

(ROLL CREDITS)

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(THE APOCALYPSE)

(EPISODE ONE)

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1. MODEL SHOT

The mountainous landscape is covered with snow. Through the thick blizzard we can make out the shape of a rocket rising out of the ground. There is a sudden roar and glow as it blasts off up into the dark sky and out of view.


2. INT. TRACKING GALLERY (DAY)

A screen shows the rocket leaving Earth. Pull back to show it is beneath a radar screen and surrounded by monitors. It is the far wall of a large chamber containing various consoles and displays. A stairway leads to a landing which leads to the exit. The air is tense. GENERAL CUTLER, a tough American in his fifties and an immaculate uniform, is pacing. TECHNICIANS rush back and forth. Two men are staying at consoles, working grimly. One is DYSON, a balding Englishman with a frown. The other is BARCLAY, a stressed Australian man with a beard, glasses and tie which he fiddles with.

DYSON
Launch complete.

TECHNICIAN (VO)
Handing Zeus Five control over to Snowcap Polar Base.

Cutler nods grimly. Barclay speaks into a mike.

BARCLAY
Thank you, Geneva. Dyson?

DYSON
Will do.

Dyson presses a control. A screen lights up. It shows a crammed vessel full of controls. There are two seats and one behind them, with three astronauts – GLYN (Bermudan), BLUEY (Australian) and TERRI (American) – reclining in the seats.

BARCLAY
Snowcap to Zeus Five. Zeus Five, how do you read me?

BLUEY (VO)
Loud and clear, Snowcap, loud and clear.

DYSON
Snowcap to Zeus Five. Over to local control channel. J for Jimmy.

GLYN (DIST)
Over to J for Jimmy now.

BARCLAY
Dyson, give Texas tracking the next orbital pattern will you?

DYSON
Right, will do, Barclay.

Cutler takes the mike.

CUTLER
Snowcap to Zeus Five – any signs you’re not alone up there?

Terri grins sarcastically to the others.

TERRI (DIST)
Hey, that voice sounds familiar!

Cutler clears his throat, awkward.

CUTLER
Zeus Five, any other traces?

TERRI (DIST)
None at our end. Anything at yours?


3. INT. ZEUS FIVE (NIGHT)

The astronauts are reclining beneath rows of instruments. Sunlight continually changes position through the portholes on either side of the craft as it rotates. A screen shows Cutler’s face.

CUTLER (DIST)
Nothing yet. Seems to have gone quiet.

GLYN
Don’t worry, General. Any sign of a little green man, you’ll be the first to know. How’s the operation going?

CUTLER (DIST)
The warhead’s nearly ready.

BLUEY
As long as we’re safely down before the fireworks start.

CUTLER (DIST)
No fear on that.

TERRI
Course not, we got the best insurance against that.

Glyn and Bluey exchange a look, confused.


4. INT. TRACKING GALLERY (DAY)

Cutler glares at the screen.

CUTLER
Back to work, you three. This isn't a holiday!

BLUEY (DIST)
Back to work, huh? And on Christmas Eve of all days...

Annoyed, Cutler turns and crosses the room.

CUTLER
Take over, will you Barclay?

Barclay nods and takes the mine.

BARCLAY
Morning Bluey, morning Glyn, morning Terri. Repeat your velocity for ground check please.

A tough-looking, thick-set American woman enters the gallery. She wears a uniform and a stern expression. This is SERGEANT ANDREWS.

ANDREWS
All three security teams are ready, General.

CUTLER
Good, Sergeant. Keep alert. They might appear any minute.

ANDREWS
No worries, sir, we can deal with anything.

CUTLER
You better be right, Sergeant. If the enemy do arrive, I want them pegged before they come within yards of the entrance.

ANDREWS
Sir. It’s an eight force wind and a blizzard out there. It’s going to be damn difficult to get to the door in any case.

CUTLER
Then make it even more difficult. Once you’ve done that, I want the security camera systems checked again.

ANDREWS
They haven’t played up for over 48 hours.

Cutler heads back to the others.

CUTLER
"48 hours" is good. "Never again" is better.

Andrews rounds on him, annoyed.

ANDREWS
Nothing can get into this base. It’s impossible!

CUTLER
Impossible is not in my vocabulary, Andrews – I suggest you remove it from yours.


5. INT. CAVERN (DAY)

A dark chamber, lit by a few screens. Shadowy figures duck in and out of view, light glinting off their hides. They are SILVER CREATURES. A screen lights up with computer talk and then an image of a space shuttle appears over it. Words are superimposed over the image.

}}SPACE CRAFT NOW OVER ISLAND “NEW ZEALAND”
}}HEIGHT OF 980 METRONS...
}}INTERCEPTION AT 1100 METRONS...


6. INT. TARDIS CONTROL ROOM (DAY)

The time rotor is rising and falling as the wheezing and groaning of the engines fills the air. THE DOCTOR moves from one panel to another, looking slightly disheveled – as are BEN and POLLY, standing by the doors.

POLLY
Where will we got to now, Doctor? Will we go forward or back in time?

The Doctor shrugs as he adjusts some controls.

DOCTOR
I have no idea – I have no control over such matters.

Ben scowls.

BEN
Well, it better be 1966 or I’m in dead trouble, Doctor!

He sighs. The time rotor slows to a halt as the engine noises fade.

BEN
Well, anyway, wherever it is, it can’t be as bad as going back to them days.

The Doctor chuckles. Polly shivers and rubs her bare arm.

POLLY
What’s happened, Doctor? I’m freezing!

Ben looks around, surprised.

BEN
Yeah – it’s getting right parky in here.

Frowning, the Doctor pulls a lever and points to the monitor below the ceiling.

DOCTOR
Just look up at that scanner. We have arrived at the coldest place in the world – the South Pole!

The trio look at the image: a metal sign says:

Snowcap Tracking Station
International Space Command
SOUTH POLE BASE

7. INT. CAVERN (DAY)

A warning light flashes.

}}ALERT... ALERT... ALERT
}}CHRONOLOGICAL DISTORTION DETECTED...

We see a human hand press a control.

{{INVESTIGATING...

The screen changes to show the TARDIS. The hand presses another control.

{{ANALYZING...

Computer talk fills the screen again.


8. INT. TARDIS CONTROL ROOM (DAY)

The Doctor is operating controls. Ben is still rubbing his arms.

BEN
Hurry up, Pol!

No reply.

DOCTOR
There, there, Ben. There we go.

He pulls a lever and there is a low buzz.

DOCTOR
Heating exchange restored. The last time it broke down, we were on the roof of the world, you know. Good thing I put in that back up system.

BEN
Any idea where we are then, eh, Doctor? In time, I mean.

DOCTOR
Well, I tried to aim for a specific time track, but anything more specific than one century in one planet is, er, extremely difficult.

BEN
So it’s Earth, the South Pole... 1966?

DOCTOR
No idea, but it must be after the twentieth century – no installations were constructed there before. And, since we’re inside it, we can go out and investigate.

BEN
What? Find out the date and try again?

DOCTOR
Perhaps. Unless something happens. And in my experience something always happens. Come along, Polly, my child!

POLLY (VO)
Coming, Doctor.

A cheerful Polly re-enters. She wears a white fur coat and a white hat and over her arm is a cloak and another fur coat.

BEN
How come she listens to you?

The Doctor waves a hand modestly.

DOCTOR
Live with a young granddaughter, Ben, and you learn these things.

Polly hands over the clothes.

POLLY
Hey Doctor, you've got the most fantastic wardrobe!

DOCTOR
Yes, well, I'm glad you approve my child.

POLLY
These are gorgeous. Where do you shop, Carnaby street?! Ha ha!

Ben pulls on his fur coat.

BEN
Nice muff, Duchess.

POLLY
What?!

BEN
Who do you think you are, Nanook of the North or something?

POLLY
Oh. Right. That Eskimo chap...

The Doctor glares at them sternly.

DOCTOR
Oh now, stop being so flippant, you two! Now come along.

POLLY
Are you sure you're going to be warm enough?

DOCTOR
Oh, like toast my dear. Now, did you find everything you want?

POLLY
Yes thanks!

DOCTOR
Then let us face our destiny, hmmm?

He pulls a switch and the doors open. They head out through the doors.


9. INT. ENTRANCE BAY (DAY)

A wide, hangar like chamber. Several vehicles under tarpaulins are ranged against the walls. In one of the unoccupied spaces now stands the TARDIS. The Doctor, Polly and Ben emerge and look around. The Doctor pulls the TARDIS door closed behind him and locks the door before pocketing the key.

BEN
It’s not too cold.

DOCTOR
Of course not. But this chamber must be colder than the rest, so the temperature difference with the outside world is not to extreme.

POLLY
Why should it?

BEN
Don’t want these snow mobiles or whatever freezing up, do they, Duchess?

POLLY
I suppose not. Why build a base at the South Pole, anyway?

DOCTOR
My dear Polly, this part of the Earth allows unique opportunities to study the weather, the stars, the planets and develop medicine and a dozen other subjects in peace and quiet. And this, er, International Space Command, must have constructed some sort of rocket testing site out here for some reason. Yes. Which means we must be after your time, I’m afraid.

BEN
By how much?

DOCTOR
Well, there is a simple way to find out.

Polly rolls her eyes.

POLLY
Go and ask someone, I know.

Ben crosses to the hatch behind them. It is set into a larger, garage-like door that takes up most of the wall.

DOCTOR
I wouldn’t open that door if I were you.

BEN
Why not?

DOCTOR
Because it leads to the surface. Look – there’s a sensor plate there.

The Doctor points to a set of displays next to the hatch.

POLLY
What does it say?

DOCTOR
It says you can’t go out.

Polly laughs.

POLLY
Anything else?

DOCTOR
There’s a gale force wind out there, force sixteen I think, and an ice blizzard too. The temperature, is, er, around the mean of thirty below zero.

BEN
So... we stay inside?

DOCTOR
Yes. Come along, we just have to find out the year and then we can try again.

The Doctor heads down towards the other exit. Ben and Polly follow.

BEN
But if we have overshot, can we get back without bumping to the dinosaurs?

DOCTOR
You’re perfectly welcome to stay here if you please, Ben. I’m sure that being away without leave is not particularly important after the first five years...

The Doctor opens the door and peers through. Ben glares at Polly.

BEN
Charming geezer, ain’t he?

POLLY
He takes tips from you.

She ruffles his hair.

BEN
Leave it out, Duchess!

They follow the Doctor out of the bay. The door closes behind them.


10. INT. CAVERN (DAY)

This is shown on the screen. Computer talk is superimposed.

}}CROSS-CHECK INFORMATION WITH HISTORY COMPUTER...
}}IDENTIFICATION CONFIRMED}}

The image changes to show a shot of the TARDIS against some railings.

}}ANALYZING FLESHMEN PHYSIOGNOMY...

Images of the Doctor, Ben and Polly appear, then a different image of the Doctor appears.

}}IDENTIFICATION CONFIRMED}}
}}FLESHMAN DOCTOR KNOWN THREAT
}}NO ACTION IS TO BE TAKEN
}}NEW STRATEGY TO BE COMPUTED
}}REINFORCEMENTS TO ARRIVE IN FIFTY-FOUR STANDARD TIME UNITS
}}NEW INSTRUCTIONS WILL FOLLOW
}}ONCE INTERCEPTION IS COMPLETE

The hand presses a control.

{{UNDERSTOOD
{{THE SENTINEL WILL OBSERVE THEIR MOVEMENTS

More computer talk fills the screen.


11. INT. NEWSROOM (DAY)

Strident music begins. Lights come on over a stern-looking female NEWSREADER. Strident music ends.

NEWSREADER
Good morning, and today on Christmas Eve of 1986, the International Space Command have launched Zeus Five into orbit on its mission to Nibiru. The launch took place at the Snowcap Polar Base in Antartica fifty-two minutes ago. Now in orbit around the Earth, the crew consists of Major Dan Schultz, Glyn Williams and Terri Roberts, three experienced astronauts still available for this vital mission even with the festive season well underway. We will keep you updated with all news from Zeus Five as it occurs. In other news, the box office taking of the new Captain Marvel movie have broken all records, even though the plot was released in comic book form earlier this year. Anti-violence protestors, however think the film, Battle With The Robot People, not only encourages violence but shows distinct luddite tendencies with the wholesale rejection of technology. A spokesman for Captain Marvel industries, went on record as saying...


12. INT. GUARD ROOM (DAY)

We see a comic book entitled CAPTAIN MARVEL # 197 showing a silver robot grappling with a square-jawed superhero in a combat uniform and a Union Jack cape. It is being read by a short, cheerful, curly haired security guard called TITO, who has an Italian accent. He hums ‘Paint it Black’ to himself as he lies on the top bunk. On the wall behind him is a neat arrangement of bikini girl posters. The bunk below boasts posters of male bodybuilders. Another security guard, a Welshman named SPENCER, is sitting at a desk with five monitors, occasionally humming as well. One shows the tracking gallery, another snow, and the rest corridors. Three other GUARDS sit at a table, playing poker. Andrews enters, holding two cups.

ANDREWS
I got your coffee, Tito.

TITO
Thanks Sarge.

Still reading the comic, he goes to collect the cup.

ANDREWS
Anything yet, Spencer?

SPENCER
Not yet. The weather out there is so bad an army could be out there and we couldn’t see it through the snow. I mean, why should we be targeted any more than the other launch sites? Are they all on red alert as well?

ANDREWS
Yes. And until all this over, we are going to stay on red alert.

She rounds on Tito.

ANDREWS
So I suggest you get some sleep while you still get a chance!

TITO
Aw, come on, Sarge. It’s my Christmas present!

ANDREWS
They’ll rot ya brains and I’ll shoot them out, Tito.

TITO
You sound like my mother!

Andrews chuckles.

ANDREWS
You know how to hurt a girl.

SPENCER
Ah, let him go, Sarge. This place is as quiet as the night before Christmas.


13. INT. ENTRANCE BAY (DAY)

On the opposite side to the TARDIS, a segment of wall slides back. Darkness is beyond. Then, a red circle can be made out in the gloom – near head height. It glows closer and brighter. There is a crunch of footsteps on ice.


14. INT. CAVERN (DAY)

Words type themselves across the screen.

}}SPACE CRAFT NOW OVER ISLAND “AMERICA”
}}HEIGHT OF 1100 METRONS
}}PREPARING TO INTERCEPT...

We see a close up of two black, silver-lined holes in a silver plastic surface, positioned like eyeholes in a covered face.


15. INT. TRACKING GALLERY (DAY)

The three astronauts are working, checking illuminated dials. Glyn has arranged a telescopic unit before his eyes.

GLYN
Mars reading... 4-2-0.

TERRI
That’s 12 down! It’s closer than before!

BLUEY
We are definitely running out of time. I thought it had slowed down.

TERRI
Not enough for comfort.

GLYN
Hello Snowcap. Hello Snowcap. We're now in dawn over San Francisco. Nibiru is sighted.

CUTLER (VO)
Snowcap to Zeus Five. Snowcap to Zeus Five. General Cutler here. We received data, and are correcting the coordinates. Proceed with new orbit.

TERRI
Roger, Snowcap. Corrected coordinates?

Barclay is on the screen.

BARCLAY (DIST)
0-0-4-8-2-0 and 8-2-3.

GLYN
Right. We're now correct, out. Ready to for the altitude thrust, Bluey?

BLUEY
Ready. Terri?

TERRI
Try and stop me.

Glyn starts operating controls. Engine noises build.

GLYN
OK... go.

On the screen, a planet appears.

BLUEY
Look on the bright side, Terri – you may not be the first woman on the Moon, but you might be the first woman on Nibiru!

TERRI
Yeah! Tenth planet, here we come!

The planet is now fully visible. It looks like Earth, except with more clouds and no moon. Glyn slams down a lever. It begins to grow larger.


16. INT. CORRIDOR (DAY)

Bland, identical passages, occasionally marked with a flashing security camera. Ben peers around the corner carefully, before the Doctor and Polly casually stroll past and head down it. Rolling his eyes, Ben heads after them.

POLLY
I’m beginning to think this place is deserted.

DOCTOR
Oh? Why?

POLLY
We’ve been wandering about for ages and we haven’t even been stopped by anyone.

DOCTOR
All things come to those that wait, my dear.

The Doctor pauses as they reach a junction. He looks behind him, frowning. The others notice and return for him.

BEN
Doctor? What is it?

DOCTOR
Hmmm? Oh, nothing. Nothing. I just could have sworn I saw movement down there.

Polly follows his gaze. There’s nothing there. She pats his arm reassuringly.

POLLY
Probably just a trick of the light.

DOCTOR
Yes. No doubt. No doubt.

They move off down the corridor. At the far end of the corridor, a shrouded FIGURE steps out of the shadows. It is a tall shape almost completely hidden in a heavy black cloak whose hem touches the floor. The hood of the cloak does not reveal the face, just a single red disc of light like a Cyclops’ eye. It seems to stare after the retreating shapes, then crosses to the other corridor and out of sight. On the wall nearby, the security camera’s flashing light stays switched on.


- to be continued...