24. INT. UPPER LANDING (NIGHT)
The Doctor is walking, hands in his pockets, face grim.
PERI
So... what do we do now?
DOCTOR
First thing is not to give into fear. Of course, it’s a healthy emotion – something to respect about forces that can do you harm. Being on guard for danger, that’s a reasonable fear. But the Master wants to destroy our minds with fear, make our judgment decay into irrationality. And I am never anything but rational.
PERI
Hoo boy.
DOCTOR
Oh, I might be disquieted every now and again, uncertain, even anxious, but never blind terror. Which is what the Master wants from us. To make us give into the disease.
PERI
How do we stop him?
DOCTOR
Think. Understand. What we normally do. When Daniel died, the Master needed a new supply of energy, psychic nourishment. He was absorbing our fear from his little sideshow. But now he found a reservoir of vast mental energy, a multi-layer type subconscious. Me.
PERI
You? He’s stealing energy from your brain?
DOCTOR
He STOLE energy. He’s self-sufficient. For the moment.
Peri looks up as a gentle knocking fills the air.
DOCTOR
Anything he tries now won’t be for his nourishment, just malice.
PERI
D-did you hear that?
The Doctor is still lost in thought.
DOCTOR
Hear what? Where did it come from?
Peri looks around as the knocking comes from a door nearby. The Doctor crosses to the door and listens to it. A click. The Doctor stays perfectly still – bar his hand that waves Peri to keep back. No sound now. The Doctor slowly eases up and reaches out to turn the door handle. The door suddenly whips back and a hand grabs the Doctor’s wrist as a horrible scream renders the air.
PERI
Doctor!
It’s Maurice lurching out of the shadows, bags under his eyes, moaning as he grabs the Doctor – to support himself as his knees buckle and he collapses.
MAURICE
He has risen, Doctor! Risen from the grave! And why not? What gravestone is heavy enough to hold him down? Oh, Doctor, I’ve seen him, his flesh blistering in the heat... and the birds! The dirty desert birds of oblivion! THEY’RE AFTER ME!
Maurice giggles happily. The Doctor gently lowers him to the ground.
DOCTOR
It’s all right, Maurice. You’re not alone any more.
MAURICE
The Angel of Death... he’s come for me. Come for all of us! But me first!
PERI
He looks like he’s been scared half to death!
DOCTOR
Massive phobic stimulus?
MAURICE
The shadows! They’re not real shadows, that’s where he hides! IN THE COLD!
DOCTOR
The Master... he’s stolen neural energy from Maurice.
PERI
He did that to you, you’re not like that!
DOCTOR
A Time Lord can endure the theft easily, poor Maurice is another matter. He’s lucky to have a mind left after that.
PERI
But why Maurice? Why go back for him and not the others?
DOCTOR
I don’t know.
MAURICE
I deserve this!
His sudden scream startles them both.
MAURICE
Old Theodore knew how much blood the old man had in him... Now voices of thunder pass judgement over the fools of the dead! Nowhere to run now. No grave deep enough. Doves have serpent tongues, you know. Strange but true.
He seems to lose consciousness.
PERI
Where did he come from? I checked that room, it was empty.
DOCTOR
The Master is manipulating time. Imagine how much damage an automobile can do in the wrong hands. A TARDIS can do much worse. He’s sliced up this house in time, and put the others beyond our reach. Now our TARDIS is smoothing down the plaster, repairing the damage, and we’re getting them back.
PERI
You’re sure it’s the TARDIS that made him appear, then. Not the Master?
DOCTOR
Why would the Master let us have Maurice back?
An obvious thought occurs and he looks gravely at Maurice who grins psychotically at them. He sits up with unnatural smoothness. The Doctor and Peri back away.
MAURICE
Heh. You think THIS pickle is a bad one. He hasn’t even started yet. Oh, the towers that we thought would stand forever, they are the ones that fall the hardest.
24. INT. HALLWAY (NIGHT)
Lit by the green glow, Pascoe is stuffed in the open cupboard, hugging himself against the cold. The Master stands before him, still and silent.
PASCOE
Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone! Leave me alone!
MASTER
I could... but I don't think that's what you really want.
Pascoe gnaws on his fist.
PASCOE
What do you want?
MASTER
Pascoe, you’re asking the wrong person the wrong question. What do you want? Or even, how much do you want it?
PASCOE
I want to be free.
MASTER
Free? Of what?
PASCOE
This house. Those miserable parasites I have to wait on, night and day!
MASTER
Then do something about it. Kill them. Kill them all. Now.
PASCOE
My soul would burn in hell if I did that.
MASTER
Then surrender your soul.
PASCOE
Surrender it? To whom?
MASTER
Me.
Pascoe stares at him.
25. INT. UPPER LANDING (NIGHT)
Maurice rises to his feet, like a puppet pulled on invisible strings. The Doctor and Peri back away. Maurice advances on them. Peri looks behind her and bites down a cry... the green glow is filling the corridor.
MAURICE
You know what evil lurks in this house. The Symphony of Fear in E minor! Don’t let it see you. He’ll turn gorgon, Perpugillium! He’ll turn us all to stone and line his sepulchre with our bodies! Or pull your mind apart like a soft, wet cake... Good thing he didn’t do that to me, eh? AWAY!
Maurice jumps at them, pretending to be a wild dog. He laughs and runs past them into the blinding green glow, which renders him first a silhouette, then nothing at all.
PERI
Maurice! NO! Don’t go into the light!
DOCTOR
No, Peri!
PERI
Maurice, come back!
Ignoring him, Peri runs straight into the glow.
DOCTOR
PERI! Oh, you idiot!
At the end of the corridor stands the black spectre. It watches him.
DOCTOR
I agree with you on one thing you said, “my friend”. It ends tonight.
He rubs his cat badge and strides into the green glow. The light seems to alter the perspective of the corridor, which rolls and stretches. The Doctor narrows his eyes and moves through it, a string of visual echoes. His voice is distant, rooms away.
DOCTOR (DIST)
Peri? Peeeeeeriiiiiiiiiiii?
The effects start to fade and clear. The corridor is now normal, the green glow spilling out from under a closed door. Sitting on the floor by the door, head bowed, as if waiting for it to open is Theodore. He does not react as the Doctor approaches.
DOCTOR
Theodore? Theodore?
The Doctor crouches down and lifts Theodore’s head. His eyes are wide, red rimmed, his face is pale. He has dribbled slightly. We see the Doctor is speaking gently, but the words we hear (overdubbed) are cold, loud and unfriendly.
DOCTOR
Theodore! Theodore Fford-Jones!
There is no reaction from Theodore.
26. INT. SALOON (NIGHT)
We zoom out rapidly from Theodore. His expression unchanged, he now stands before a desk at which sits the Doctor. The Ghosts stand beside Theodore as if guards. Peri and the rest of the family stand to one side like a jury. Pascoe sits in a chair beside the desk, dutifully noting things on a notepad.
DOCTOR
Thodore Fford-Jones, you have been found guilty of the most heinous of crimes, the ultimate sin against thy father. Has the accused anything to say before sentence is passed?
THEODORE
I did what was right. For everyone. This isn’t fair.
DOCTOR
Fair? Fairness? You lost your right to fairness when you undertook this abhorrent scheme.
THEODORE
It was not for my own benefit!
DOCTOR
But count the corpses and the ruined lives left in your wake!
THEODORE
I did not mean for this to happen!
DOCTOR
You thought it was best to carry out this outrage. And by an amazing coincidence you were also paid a fortune of diamonds from the family inheritance because you thought it was best. You murdered those closest to you for a handful of diamonds!
THEODORE
No! That’s not how it was!
The other start to mumble grimly, “Guilty! Guilty!” The Doctor delves into his pocket and takes out what would be the black cap used to pass death sentences. Except it’s just as patchwork as his coat. He puts it on reverently.
DOCTOR
This court passes a sentence more severe than that of death. You will not find paradise on the other side. Wherever you do, whatever you do, all will see you for what you truly are. The voices of your conscience will never leave you. Your soul is doomed, and your body is forfeit. Sentence will now be carried out.
THEODORE
You can’t do this!
DOCTOR
Order in the court!
THEODORE
I can’t bear it!
Angrily, the Doctor bangs the gavel.
DOCTOR
I will have order!
THEODORE
Everyone... Oh God!
The Doctor now sounds his normal self. He throws off the cap.
DOCTOR
Right, that’s it! I’m sorry, Theo, but I can’t waste any more time. I’ve to got to find Peri! Peri?
He rises and moves off. The Ghosts wrench Theodore around to see standing behind him is the Colonel, who with military precision unbreaks his rifle, aims at Theodore and pulls the trigger. A close up of Theodore’s horrified face.
27. INT. UPPER LANDING (NIGHT)
We zoom out rapidly from Theodore. He is still in a heap outside the door. The Doctor shakes his head, reaches out and pushes at the door. It opens easily, allowing more green light to spill out.
28. INT. DRAWING ROOM (NIGHT)
The First Ghost steps around the door, looking for something. He seems almost suspicious. He looks around the room then stops. His eyes widen slightly. We pull back further. Dangerous music. Pull back further. The Second Ghost stands on a circular dais of metal and plastic, his hands manacled. He is lit by the dais which provides the sinister green glow. He wears black and appears to be on the edge of hysteria though his voice is controlled.
SECOND GHOST
Hello, old friend.
The First Ghost stares on in horror.
SECOND GHOST
I have a problem. Many problems. I am not perfect. But in every way, every day, I am improving myself. Mastering my powers. Learning to control... everything. I am not evil. Evil is malevolence, a desire to destroy. I don't wish to destroy anything. I want knowledge. Knowledge of the forbidden, of the secret, of the powerful, of dominion! Those who deserve to die, WILL be denied life! Life is wasted on the living! The weak must fall to the strong or follow the strong! And you know all bout the weak following the strong, don’t you? Are you all right?
The First Ghost is taken aback. He does not get a chance to reply.
SECOND GHOST
I’m all right. I’m fine. I am immutably... the master of myself. I walk alone. It is my right. My right to freedom. My right to pursue my dreams. My right to decide what I look like in the next life. My right to show the truth to the others, whatever that takes, no matter the cost, no matter the pain. Life is pain. Anyone who says different is selling you something. The universe is cluttered with fools who will not accept the truth no matter how plain it is. They must be taught the truth. Or suffer the consequences because I have my rights. I have a TARDIS. I am the future. I do not play at being God. I do not play at anything. I AM A LORD OF TIME! And more. Much more. I’m a contender. You will obey me. Obey me. You will, you will, you obey, you will obey me.
He’s starting to shake, gritting his teeth, trying not to let the fury out. He’s getting faster and faster.
SECOND GHOST
Obey, obey the master, be an honoured guest, a valued partner, or be worthless! Happiness and success come at a price but no one is willing to pay! Only I have paid! I HAVE PAID! You owe me! You ALL owe me! You all owe me and you will ALL obey me because I am the Lord of LIFE, Master of all Matter and YOU WILL OBEY ME!
He is almost panting with anger now. There is malice undisguised in his voice. But now he’s calm. Fanatically calm.
SECOND GHOST
The peoples of Gallifrey are citizens of the oldest civilization in existence, a nation under the Guardians of Light and Time, indivisible in liberty, with justice renowned throughout the universe, we have the right to take charge. We will be the most powerful empire in history itself! Evolution has passed the rest of them by, further progress is impossible, development is at a standstill but we can change it all! We have the technology! We have the will power! We have the power! We have the technology of the Ancients! We have Omega on our side! NOTHING CAN STOP US!
He giggles at the ridiculousness of it all. The First Ghost does not.
SECOND GHOST
A new age is here. I will see it through. I will control everything. The universe needs me to control it and I need to control everything in the universe. That’s who I am, that’s what I am, it’s what I need to be – and there’s only one thing that can stop me!
His hysteria fades to cold sobriety. He stares unblinkingly at the First Ghost.
SECOND GHOST
Go on, my friend. Look me in the eye.
The First Ghost stares at him in confusion. The Second Ghost stares back.
SECOND GHOST
Pull the switch.
The Sixth Doctor stares at the old-fashioned flip-switch on the wall. He takes hold. He looks back. It is the monster there, in chains. We catch only the briefest glimpse of it.
MASTER
End my life.
The First Ghost slams down the lever. A surge of power. The Sixth Doctor stares in horror. The Second Ghost shimmers into an incandescent bleached-out silhouette that explodes then implodes as the energy fades. The Sixth Doctor watches as the light and green glow vanish. Standing there in a burned, ragged cloak, face a skull-like mask is the barely recognizable shape of Daniel. His voice is a rasping whisper.
DANIEL
Why did you kill me?
29. INT. HALLWAY (NIGHT)
Peri runs down the stairs. Everything is unreal and lit with the green glow. Her voice is similarly distorted, as if underwater.
PERI (DIST)
Maurice? Maurice, where are you? HEY! MAURICE!
She runs past the wardrobe (which is empty) and down the corridor. Her shoes are now stepping on cobwebs. More and more, as it becomes a thick carpet, lit by a green glow. Peri looks down at the mass of deserted spider webs she is standing in, then up to realize it forms a barrier over the next open doorway. It is backlit brightly, silhouetting a shape against the cobwebs – something is standing on the other side of the doorway, perfectly still, staring straight at her. Peri looks at it curiously, then reaches out and touches the cobwebs. There is a spark as suddenly the cobwebs seem to ignite and burn away instantly, evaporating to show the Master standing there, his immaculate black suit dusty and webbed. He chuckles and smiles at Peri, who stares at him.
MASTER
I am the Master. And you will obey me.
30. INT. GOVERNOR’S OFFICE (DAY) B&W
The Third Doctor stands before the desk. The chair behind the desk revolves to reveal the Delgado Master. The Third Doctor doesn’t react.
DELGADO MASTER
You don’t seem at all surprised?
THIRD DOCTOR
Hardly.
The Master aims a handgun at the Doctor.
DELGADO MASTER
I’ll put a bullet through both your hearts!
The Third Doctor puts up his hands up in mock surrender.
THIRD DOCTOR
Why the delay? I take it that I’m to be killed eventually?
DELGADO MASTER
Oh, eventually, yes.
40. INT. BEDROOM (NIGHT)
Crossfade to show the Doctor and the Master in the same positions. The Doctor lowers his hands, speaking with mock worry. The Master grins at him.
DOCTOR
Oh dear. The Master’s back from the grave. Woe is us.
MASTER
You have no idea.
DOCTOR
I rarely do.
MASTER
Take a seat.
DOCTOR
I’ll stand. You know, all joking aside, I so hoped you were dead this time.
The Master loses some of his good humor.
MASTER
Sit down.
DOCTOR
No. I don’t suppose you remember that last time we bumped into each other on Sarn? When you were under the delusion you were able to hound me to the corners of the universe and make me die horribly? And then you started to burn. And you broke down and begged me to help you.
MASTER
And you let me die.
DOCTOR
So I did! Can you ever forgive me? Because I won’t forgive you. For what you did to Kamelion. And Tegan. And Nyssa. Oh, and a good chunk of the galactic neighborhood. And the incident with the radio telescope. No more chances.
MASTER
Why Doctor, are you eschewing the moral high ground?
DOCTOR
Just the start, Master. What I will do to you will make Cybermen weep.
The Master holds up the tissue compression eliminator. He aims it at the Doctor.
DOCTOR
Another game. You don’t have your compressor any more.
MASTER
A game, Doctor? Of course.
He rotates the TCE and offers the handle to the Doctor.
MASTER
Shall we play for keeps?
The Doctor takes the TCE, glances it at and aims at the Master’s head.
DOCTOR
You tell me.
30. INT. SALOON (NIGHT)
Still green. Tracey is crying. She breaks down and sobs.
TRACEY
Please. Bring him back.
Summoned, the Master stands at the other end of the couch.
MASTER
There’s no point. He’d only die again, sooner or later.
TRACEY
Then leave me alone! I don’t want anything else!
MASTER
You only want him back because you think it will soothe your pain.
TRACEY
So?
MASTER
What if you’re wrong? He ended his life before. What can guarantee he won’t do it again once he’s back?
TRACEY
I will.
MASTER
No. You won’t. You know that. My dear Tracey. You don’t want to hurt any more. And it always best to treat the cause... not the symptoms.
TRACEY
What do you mean?
MASTER
You hurt because you love. If you do not love, you do not hurt.
TRACEY
What garbage are you rambling about now?
MASTER
I can end your pain. But you’d rather wallow in misery.
The Master shakes his head in disbelief and mutters to himself.
MASTER
What DOES he see in your pathetic little race?
Tracey finds some of her resolve.
TRACEY
You’re a liar.
MASTER
Am I?
TRACEY
I don’t believe you came back from the dead. No one can cheat death.
MASTER
It’s what they want you to think. Anything’s possible once you set your mind to it.
He walks over behind Tracey and places his hands on her shoulders.
MASTER
There is a price, of course.
TRACEY
What price?
MASTER
Your soul. For eternal life, lose your soul. Do you honestly think you need it? In this increasingly complicated day and age?
Tracey lowers her gaze. She shakes her head sadly.
TRACEY
No...
MASTER
Exactly.
31. INT. BEDROOM (NIGHT)
The room is smothered by cobwebs and lit by a green bulb. Peri sits at a table – it is covered with cobwebs. Some are on her, too. The Master sits opposite her. More cobwebs connect him to the chair.
MASTER
My little Perpuguilliam Brown. You’ve seen so much since we last met. The decline of the Spectrox Empire, the twilight of the Cybermen, Varos of all places... Such an impressive list of places and times. But still a short list. There are so many worlds out there. Has the Doctor taken you to the Primiddion Galaxy? It’s a fascinating place, well off the beaten track of the explored universe.
Peri doesn’t say anything, concentrating on not freaking out. In the seat opposite is the Second Ghost. The Master has vanished.
SECOND GHOST
What’s interesting about the Primiddion Galaxy is it is near totally devoid of any life. All the planets there are dead, lifeless rocks. All except one planet. One planet in an entire galaxy three times the size of the Milky Way. It was a world not too dissimilar to this one. It was still in the throes of inter-species conflict, and they had reached the technological level that meant to engage in full scale war would annihilate life on that world. Ultimately, there was an uneasy peace there.
The Second Ghost is amused at the memory.
SECOND GHOST
After all, the only thing any side could win would be the corpse of their planet. They might have reached the maturity not to use their nuclear weaponary. But they didn't. Not once I visited.
The humor is gone from his voice. Peri glances up at her companion – now Daniel.
DANIEL
It is curious, is it not, that the state of the universe has destruction so easy to accomplish. It is far easy to blow up a building that construct it. Easier to kill a child than give birth to it. One might almost detect a bias towards entropy. How many millions of years of geological, biological and sociological evolution formed that world? It took me two hours to trigger the end.
SECOND GHOST
To destroy a life requires more effort and imagination than simply ending it. That world did not vanish in a mercifully brief implosion, ending quickly and cleanly. Oh no. The status between the two superpowers was already strained. A misfiled data stream, a whisper in an ear, and a judicious assassination later, and one power attacked the other. There was a limited nuclear exchange. Nothing major.
MASTER
But it was worth it. To see the civilians and the peasants and conscientious objectors panic, stocking up with food to flee to the countryside which they assumed would not be targeted by either side - until roadblocks prevented them from leaving. Hospitals had their patients cleared, no matter how major or minor their ailments were. "Subversives" - and what a flexible word that is - were rounded up by the enforcers of law, using emergency legislation. People began to refuse to leave their houses, trying to create indoor shelters, hiding in their cellars. It was really rather disappointing to learn how poorly trained the emergency services were. Not that it mattered in the end.
DANIEL
The aggressor power bloc struck again, and the retaliation was swift. I was there in that city as the attack warnings sounded. It was wonderful. People were running around, looking for loved ones, looking for shelter, maybe just praying they would wake up in bed to find it was all a dream. Some could not understand the situation and looked around in wonder. Some understood it only too well, and were paralyzed with fear. Others simply fell to their knees and begged for some passing angel to save them. But no angel came.
SECOND GHOST
The people out in the open were burned in the heat. The glass of windows melted. Buildings crumpled. Every living thing screamed... and finally, when the screaming stopped, there was no living thing left. The same happened to the other side.
MASTER
But it didn't end there. That was the glorious aspect of it. Those who had hidden and ducked and covered were still alive. But in these situations, the living often envy the dead. For a start, hundreds of tons of dust were thrown up into the atmosphere, cutting out sunlight and heat. The city was rendered freezing and dark, its inhabitants scarred and shocked in every sense. Food was taken from those deemed to have fatal radiation poisoning, and to keep the food stocks secure, soldiers began to slaughter the crowds that tried to take it. The hospitals were no longer equipped to cope with everyday life, let alone the horrors of radioactive fallout. Corpses were dumped in the streets, in the range of about, what, ten million?
DANIEL
I was terribly amused to see one woman sitting on a street corner, cradling the corpse of a baby that must have died weeks before.
He looks at Peri’s controlled horror, slightly put out she isn’t sharing his glee.
DANIEL
Maybe you had to be there. Then the looters came, murdering more people. So the authorities executed any and every criminal they came across.
SECOND GHOST
More died from fallout, which hampered the reconstruction work no end. The detention camps rapidly emptied. So did the city. The few survivors fled to the countryside in search of food, and discovered that a harvest just wasn't possible.
MASTER
In the four weeks after the attack, between 17 and 38 million people had lost their lives. And more followed. When the sunlight finally broke though the clouds, it was unfiltered. Cancer was another risk. Civilization had regressed back to medieval levels. The adults were ageing prematurely, dying younger. Their children were simpletons, bodies and minds wrecked by contamination. They did not understand the world they had lost or the world they were now into.
DANIEL
Five months after the attack, none of the survivors were able to speak. They became wild animals, barely sentient, and those that were sentient killed them without remorse. A few more children were born - all dead and mutated beyond recognition.
SECOND GHOST
In two years, that world was totally barren of life. No, I tell a lie, a bacteria did form in the polar regions over thirteen years later. It died within the month. And that is why Creus is just another dead planet.
Peri sounds like she is going to be sick.
PERI
And you killed it. ALL of it.
MASTER
They were standing on a precipice that crumbled beneath their feet. There was a highly unlikely chance they might have moved out of danger. I just... cut to the chase.
PERI
Why?!
MASTER
Why not?
- to be continued...
Monday, April 2, 2007
Sunday, April 1, 2007
The Enemy Within X
9. INT. UPPER LANDING (NIGHT)
The Doctor peers through the glass of a window. Peri stands nearby.
PERI
Still no sign of anyone else. It’s just us in this house.
DOCTOR
Lonely, isn’t it?
PERI
What do you think happened to the others? Do you think they’re dead?
DOCTOR
At the moment it’s even odds if they ever existed. They could be right outside this window for all I know.
PERI
Can you see anything?
DOCTOR
No. Pitch dark.
The Doctor straighten up, then suddenly turns and kicks the window violently. He cries out and hops, clutching his foot. He tries to talk through the pain.
DOCTOR
Well, that seems to be that! We’re sealed in!
PERI
Great. So, how long do we wait before we start digging a tunnel?
The Doctor lowers his foot, trying to ignore the pain.
DOCTOR
How long has it been since we woke up?
PERI
How should I know? All the clocks aren’t working, remember?
The Doctor stares at her, clearly not remembering. Realization strikes.
DOCTOR
Ah, yes, of course. The time friction... Of course! That’s how he’s doing it! He’s smashed up the local continuum, spilling temporal distortion all over the area – the proverbial fist into the wedding cake. The TARDIS auto-systems would have kicked in and it would have aimed straight for the source of the distortion....
PERI
To plaster over the hole?
DOCTOR
Yes, to plaster over the hole, but somehow he’s managed to get time to seal around the house like amber! That’s why we can’t break out, because the doors and windows are frozen in one moment of time, a moment when they were intact and until they are released they must stay that way no matter what!
PERI
How did the ghost do that?
DOCTOR
He’s clever.
PERI
He?
DOCTOR
... it. Does it matter?
PERI
You know who the ghost is, don’t you?
DOCTOR
Yes. I know who the ghost is.
PERI
Well who is it?
DOCTOR
Just someone I went to school with.
10. INT. DRAWING ROOM (NIGHT)
Lit with green. The Colonel is sprawled in a chair, looking around him. Sunshine spills through the window. Two CHILDREN are playing with wooden toys at his feet. Birdsong. The Colonel smiles slightly, relaxing. Suddenly there is a cracking noise as the windows are shaken by a gale outside. It is now night. The wind moans eerily. The room is now dusty and decrepit. There is no sign of the children, the shelves are empty, the paintings fading. The Colonel looks around in confusion. The Master stands behind him.
MASTER
Time infects us all.
The Colonel looks at him, confused.
COLONEL
What?
MASTER
Time. Slick and insidious. Time is what drives us towards death. Its presence clogs the very pores of the universe.
The Master smiles and moves to where the abandoned toys are.
MASTER
I have seen the end, Colonel.
COLONEL
The end? Of what?
MASTER
The end. Singular.
COLONEL
Of the world?
MASTER
Of everything, Colonel. The world, sun, the moon, the stars. It all ends. I saw it all end. A sick, infinitely hot crunching of matter – and by that time there is no one left to hear. Once you realize this, it all becomes very simple. Undemanding.
He picks up a toy and crushes it with no effort.
COLONEL
You killed my son.
MASTER
If I did not, the universe would have taken him eventually.
The Colonel is furious. Scary furious.
COLONEL
And that justifies it?!
MASTER
Of course it justifies it.
The Colonel delves into his pocket and pulls out a gun.
MASTER
Ah yes. You see how quickly civilization melts away to let the baser instincts?
COLONEL
You’re some kind of... of ghost.
MASTER
Some kind, yes.
COLONEL
Bring Daniel back.
MASTER
Why should I?
COLONEL
Can you do it?
The Master doesn’t seem to hear him. He repeats the question exactly.
MASTER
Why should I?
COLONEL
Because I want my son back, you miserable scum!
MASTER
Why?
The Colonel stares at him.
COLONEL
He’s my flesh and blood.
MASTER
And? Is that all? You want power. You want control over your family. Control I took away. I understand those feelings. I once attempted to impose order on chaos. But no more. I doubt I would be able to revive your son. And I wouldn’t if I could.
The Colonel snarls and fires three times into the Master’s chest. The bullets smash into the wall behind him. One bullet shatters the glass of a painting. The Master chuckles.
MASTER
You see? Consequences are irrelevant! Something it took me an embarrassingly long time to work out for myself.
He advances on the Colonel.
MASTER
Once I realized that, I was free. Free to let my desires reign. I can indulge the darkness of my soul. Because it doesn’t matter, one way or another. I don’t wish to conquer the universe. Not any more.
The Colonel is now visible scared of the Master – as much by what he’s saying as much by his supernatural presence.
MASTER
I only want... destruction.
COLONEL
So you killed my son?
MASTER
Your son killed himself.
COLONEL
You drove him to it!
The Master nods thoughtfully. He sounds surprised and pleased with himself.
MASTER
Yes... I did, didn’t I? And unlike the universe, I gave that death meaning. I took enjoyment in the blood spilled. More than some accident, or old age would. Would you like to see the end of everything? To see what I’ve seen? To understand how meaningless it all is? Life without pain has no meaning. So you have a choice – to suffer the pain or be the one that inflicts it.
The Colonel, gritting his teeth, aims the gun at the Master’s head and pulls the trigger. The Master doesn’t miss a beat.
MASTER
I can see you yearn for the latter. Promising. Quite promising.
Struggling to control himself, the Colonel lowers his gun.
COLONEL
If I can, sir, I’ll kill you.
The Master is gone. The Colonel is left alone.
MASTER (VO)
I wish you joy of it.
11. INT. SHORT CORRIDOR (NIGHT)
The Doctor moves quickly down the steps, talking all the time.
DOCTOR
So that explains all the inexplicable noise, footsteps, knocking, creaking gates, voices... that presence we kept feeling, like we were being watched, not to mention the electrical interference and even full-blown visual apparitions. Psychic imprinting with a healthy dollop of temporal narcosis. Don’t you think?
PERI
And what about all the stuff about birds and Sphinxes?
DOCTOR
A poem by William Butler Yeats. Lovely Irish man, rather gullible. He believed that human history was divided into eras of 20 centuries in length, that the birth of Christ ushered in one such era and it would end on the turn of the century when a New Messiah appeared.
PERI
The Sphinx?
DOCTOR
Yes, and heralded by enormous desert birds.
PERI
Maurice said he saw some of them.
DOCTOR
Yes, well, what else was it Maurice said? That Daniel loved that poem? Think about it. Perhaps the ghost isn’t as undiluted as we thought. There must be some neural bleed back, some of Daniel’s thoughts getting mixed in with the parasite. Something minor like The Second Coming would be ignored, just froth on the surface.
PERI
So the era of Christianity isn’t about to end?
DOCTOR
Not like that, no. That’s the trouble with this mess – there are just as many random coincidences as there are genuine signs and portents, and the difficulty is in separating a given event from one or the other.
PERI
Maybe it’d work better if you told me who the ghost is?
DOCTOR
And maybe it wouldn’t.
PERI
Why don’t you just tell me?!
DOCTOR
Maybe it’s best for you not to know. Did you think of that?
PERI
Doctor, we’re trapped with this psycho ghost and you’re keeping things from me.
DOCTOR
You’re very clever, Peri. I’m sure you can work out. Someone we’ve met before, someone bearing a grudge, someone who died but has come back with a complicated scheme that uses mass slaughter, sadism and time manipulation. Someone who knows our secrets, knows what we’re afraid of and is prepared to use that knowledge. Answering to the name Dominus. Except it’s not Dominus, just the way Daniel’s confused thoughts perceived it.
PERI
Dominus...
Her eyes widen in realization.
PERI
Why didn’t you tell me sooner?
The Doctor avoids her gaze.
DOCTOR
Because I didn’t want to believe it was true.
The Doctor takes a deep breath.
DOCTOR
It’s the Master.
12. INT. BEDROOM (NIGHT)
The room is lit by the hallucinatory green glow. Emily is struggling to open the windows.
MASTER (VO)
It's hopeless.
Emily whirls around. The room seems to dip and sway, but she is alone.
EMILY
What? Who’s that?!
MASTER (VO)
You are aware of that, are you not?
EMILY
What do you mean? What’s hopeless?
She flinches as she sees the Master standing in the shadows of the corner. He steps out into the bilious green light.
MASTER
Life. Life is hopeless. Consequences are irrelevant. You and the rest of the universe spend all of your limited time trying to hold on to it, but it life is by definition guaranteed to slip through your fingers in the end. It’s what life does. Always.
EMILY
We all die some time.
MASTER
Some sooner than others.
EMILY
We have to try and make the best of it. Live life to the full.
MASTER
A quaint notion. But I don’t have to die. Unlike you.
EMILY
I don’t believe you.
MASTER
You should.
EMILY
The Doctor’s mad. Did you see his clothes? And his eyes? Quite mad.
MASTER
Is he? Or are you the one that’s mad... talking to a ghost, after all.
EMILY
No one can cheat death.
The Master grins a feral grin. He whispers.
MASTER
Except me. I have turned back death. I have seen beyond the mortal coil. Beyond the boundaries of the reality of this universe. A liberating experience.
EMILY
What did you see?
MASTER
Horrible things. Things for which your language could never describe. Words are wholly inadequate. Sights that gnaw at the mind until there is nothing left. But I can tell you that it is not a lonely place. There are... creatures. In the dark. Waiting for you to join them.
EMILY
I don’t want to join.
MASTER
You have no choice in the matter.
EMILY
You did. You must have. Otherwise, how did you come back?
MASTER
I am not like you. They want your soul, Emily Fforde-Jones.
EMILY
How did you escape them?
The Master smiles like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
MASTER
I had no soul to offer.
13. INT. SHORT CORRIDOR (NIGHT)
The Doctor and Peri sit on the stairs, quiet and brooding. Peri finally remembers how to speak and breaks out of her thoughts.
PERI
He’s dead. You said he...
DOCTOR
I never said that.
PERI
Yes you did!
DOCTOR
Did I? I suppose I must have. I was wrong.
PERI
How can you be wrong about something like that?!
DOCTOR
His survival instinct was always overdeveloped. He didn’t let death stop him last time, why should he now?
PERI
So, what, he’s come back to haunt us? I mean, literally haunt us?
DOCTOR
It seems so.
PERI
But... WHY?!
DOCTOR
He hates me.
PERI
That’s it?!
The Doctor looks at her, serious.
DOCTOR
It’s all he has. And, seemingly, it’s all he needs.
PERI
And he’s doing all this... making all of us suffer... just because of you?
DOCTOR
If you like.
PERI
No, I don’t like! What did you do to him to make him hate you so much?
DOCTOR
I don’t know.
PERI
Oh, that’s a lie. I can tell! What did you do?
DOCTOR
What does it matter? You won’t be able to use it. The Master is insane, Peri. Insane. No logic, no psychological ploy is going to stop him. You can’t appeal to his better nature, you can’t reason with him. He is malice. Nothing else. Not any more.
PERI
So he wasn’t always like that?
DOCTOR
Not at the start. We were friends. Good friends. We were... at university together.
PERI
Where Azmael taught?
DOCTOR
Azmael? Oh, yes. Azmael. Yes, he was one of our teachers. And we despised our society. So dull, routine, boring, unimaginative. So we left Gallifrey - on the same day, by the same means, but we never expected to see each other again. But we did. Kept bumping into each other, as if the universe wasn’t big enough for us to play nicely.
14. INT. LECTURE ROOM (DAY) B&W
THE SECOND DOCTOR and ZOE stand in a lecture hall with various STUDENTS wearing military uniforms of various ages. The Second Doctor is with a balding SCIENTIST, overlooking a strange machine fitted to a stand. All are wearing white visors.
SCIENTIST
And since we have now exceeded the time allotted for this demonstration I suggest you all continue to your next assignment.
SECOND DOCTOR
Oh thank you, hah. Come along Zoe.
There is a sound of an alert, and two black-clad GUARDS rush into the room. The Second Doctor stands back and moves his visor up, so that it sits on top of his head like a pair of sunglasses. THE MASTER enters, dressed as a war chief with a golden medallion.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Was the experiment successful?
SCIENTIST
Partly, partly. But the specimen showed signs of mental unbalance after the process.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Then the modifications were NOT successful?
SCIENTIST
But I think we've found the cause. One of the students has been extremely helpful to me, er, that one over there.
The scientist points. The Doctor, who still has his visor perched upon his head, grins modestly. The Master glares coldly at him as he recognizes him. The Doctor recognizes him back and is panicked.
DOCTOR
RUN ZOE, RUN!
The Doctor pushes his way through the surprised students, and rushes away, Zoe following him.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
STOP THEMMM!
The squad of guards fight through a gang of confused students in hot pursuit.
15. INT. SHORT CORRIDOR (NIGHT)
As before. Peri is now pacing. The Doctor has not moved.
PERI
That plan you said earlier. About stealing soldiers – it was him, wasn’t it? And you ruined the plan, cause, I mean, you’re you.
The Doctor, lost in thought, doesn’t reply.
PERI
That’s not enough for him to hate you this much.
DOCTOR
No.
PERI
So what happened?
DOCTOR
It doesn’t matter.
PERI
Why won’t you tell me?
DOCTOR
All right, Perpeguilliam. I sold him out, Peri. I betrayed him. I was the one that started it. It’s all my fault. The Master’s insane, hate-driven and a mass murderer but I was the one that struck first.
PERI
Why?
DOCTOR
It would be fairer to say I sold myself out as well. The Master had got in deep with a massive attempt to conquer the universe. The first of many, as it turned out. It all went down hill from there.
16. INT. WAR ROOM (NIGHT) B&W
A large chamber with a Y-shaped relief map. The Second Doctor is nervously wandering around the place. The War Chief Master watches on, unimpressed.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
You may have changed your appearance, but I know who you are.
SECOND DOCTOR
Oh do you?
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Your machine is a TARDIS. You're too familiar with it's controls to be a stranger.
SECOND DOCTOR
I had every right to leave.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Stealing a TARDIS? Oh I'm not criticizing you. We are two of a kind.
SECOND DOCTOR
We most certainly are NOT!
WAR CHIEF MASTER
We were both Time Lords. And we both decided to leave our race.
SECOND DOCTOR
I had reasons of my own.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Just as I had.
SECOND DOCTOR
Your reasons are only too obvious - power!
WAR CHIEF MASTER
We can bring peace to the galaxy - and you can help. You see, I'm not the cold-hearted villain you suppose me to be. My motives are purely peaceful.
SECOND DOCTOR
You have given these aliens our science and our knowledge to carry out this disgusting plan!
WAR CHIEF MASTER
We are going to bring a new order to the galaxy; one United Galactic Empire!
SECOND DOCTOR
An empire of slaves! With you as one of it's rulers!
The War Chief Master grins at the thought.
17. INT. WAR ROOM (NIGHT) B&W
The Second Doctor and the War Chief Master stand before the bespectacled WARLORD and his entourage of guards. The irritating SECURITY CHIEF is also present.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
I know this man, he is a fugitive from the Time Lords.
SECURITY-CHIEF
As you are.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
That's right, as I am.
WARLORD
Did you bring him here?
WAR CHIEF MASTER
No, he arrived by chance.
The Warlord turns to the Second Doctor.
WARLORD
Did the Time Lords send you?
SECOND DOCTOR
No.
WARLORD
Have you informed them?
WAR CHIEF MASTER
He dare not, that would betray him.
WARLORD
If he helps us destroy the resistance, if. His life will be spared. I hold you responsible for the success of the plan. Failure will mean death - to both of you.
The Warlord exits with the other. The Doctor checks they are gone for a moment.
SECOND DOCTOR
I never promised to help you!
WAR CHIEF MASTER
But you will. You have no alternative!
SECOND DOCTOR
But to help people like THAT conquer the galaxy?
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Not people like THAT. People like US! I intend to take over as Supreme Galactic Ruler. You can help me to rule - if you will cooperate.
18. INT. SHORT CORRIDOR (NIGHT)
As before.
DOCTOR
I couldn’t stop it. So I called in the Time Lords to do the work I couldn’t.
PERI
Sounds smart to me.
DOCTOR
Not when you, like the Master, are a wanted criminal exiled from society. I knew they’d fix the problem like that.
He snaps his fingers.
DOCTOR
But while they were there they’d try to kill two birds with one stone and get the pesky renegades at the same time. I gave us away. And once I did that, there was nowhere in time and space we could hide from them.
He rubs his eyes as if tired.
DOCTOR
There was no other way.
19. INT. WAR ROOM (DAY) B&W
It’s the sight of a battle. Bodies are sprawled everywhere. The Second Doctor, the War Chief Master, JAMIE and REBELS are present.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Doctor, you mustn't call them in or it will be the end of us. They'll show no mercy!
ZOE
What did he mean Doctor? Who mustn't you call?
SECOND DOCTOR
The only people who can put an end to this whole ghastly business and send everyone back to their own times. The Time Lords.
JAMIE
Wha? Who are they?
SECOND DOCTOR
They're my own people Jamie.
JAMIE
Oh, well that's alright then.
ZOE
But it isn't alright - is it Doctor?
SECOND DOCTOR
No it's not Zoe, but I'm afraid that there's no alternative.
The War Chief Master is restrained by the rebels.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Don't do it Doctor, you can't! You know what will happen!
The Second Doctor looks up in surprise.
SECOND DOCTOR
He's gone! He must be trying to get away before the Time Lords get here!
20. INT. LANDING BAY (DAY) B&W
The War Chief Master is surrounded by the Warlord and guards. In a single movement the War Chief Master leaps onto the ramp and runs up, but is cut off by another two guards who appear from the doorway.
WARLORD
Kill him!
The guards simultaneously open fire on the War Chief and he is consumed in the combined energy bursts, slumping and rolling down the ramp. He screams.
21. INT. SHORT CORRIDOR (NIGHT)
The Doctor stiffly stands up and starts to pace, stretching.
DOCTOR
He survived of course. He always does.
PERI
He regenerated?
DOCTOR
Eventually. When the Time Lords arrived in force, they caught him too. They were surprisingly efficient, all things considered. But they didn’t take kindly to myself or the Master getting mixed up in the affairs of others. Time Lord justice... I’ve seen better.
PERI
So you became an exile? That’s why you can’t go home.
DOCTOR
More or less. The Master suffered... worse than I did. He never really forgave me.
PERI
That’s it?
DOCTOR
Does it matter? No, Peri, it wasn’t that, it was because, when we were naïve youths barely in our first century, I beat him at chess. I came top of the class. I got an air car for my birthday. I played truant one day and was never caught and he tried it and got shamed in front of his family. There are a million reasons you can come up with.
PERI
So, he was jealous?
DOCTOR
Envious. Maybe. I did do better than him at many things. But it wasn’t a contest, Peri. I wasn’t trying to prove anything, I never set out deliberately to undermine him. Maybe that was the point. Maybe if I HAD cared, if I HAD wanted all the success the Master wanted... NEEDED. He wanted to be the best at everything, and always came short. On top of that, I couldn’t care less.
PERI
You said you got kicked out of university.
DOCTOR
Too little too late. Not everything comes down to ACADEMIC success, you know.
PERI
What? Did you steal his girlfriend or something?
The Doctor double takes.
DOCTOR
Certainly not! What do you take me for?
PERI
OK, OK... but if this thing is so important... You never talk about him!
DOCTOR
I thought he was dead.
PERI
So? You talk about Turlough and the others, and Daleks and Cybermen...
DOCTOR
Maybe that’s it. Maybe that’s what drives him on. To destroy me, the person that couldn’t care less if I never saw the Master again. The person that beat him all those times. He wants me dead, but I don’t care about him as long as no one else gets hurt. He spends centuries plotting my destruction, I don’t give him a second thought. Is that the most unforgivable sin?
Peri shrugs.
22. EXT. OUTSIDE RT CONTROL ROOM (DAY) B&W
The gantry outside the control booth of a radio telescope. The THIRD Doctor whirls around as with a wheezing, groaning sound, a bowler-hatted middle-aged TIME LORD appears hovering in the sky and floats over until he stands before the Doctor.
TIME LORD
I came to warn you. An old acquaintance has arrived on this planet.
THIRD DOCTOR
Oh? One of our people?
TIME LORD
The Master as he calls himself these days.
THIRD DOCTOR
That jackanapes! All he ever does is cause trouble! You’re sure he’s here?
TIME LORD
We tracked him on the monitors. Then there was some kind of alien interference and we lost contact.
THIRD DOCTOR
Is his TARDIS still working?
TIME LORD
I’m afraid so. He got away before it could be de-energized.
THIRD DOCTOR
Lucky for him.
TIME LORD
Don’t be bitter, Doctor. Your punishment was comparatively light.
The Third Doctor snaps, furious, as he looms over the Time Lord.
THIRD DOCTOR
Whatever I’ve done, I too am still a Time Lord! Do you know what it’s like to be restricted to one TINY planet, one LIMITED era of time?!
The Time Lord shrugs.
TIME LORD
It IS your favorite planet, after all.
The Third Doctor tries to control his temper.
THIRD DOCTOR
Why did you take the trouble to warn me?
TIME LORD
The Master knows you’re on this planet, Doctor. You interfered with his scheme and he has sworn your destruction. He'll certainly try to kill you, Doctor. The tribunal thought that you ought to be made aware of your danger.
The Third Doctor sneers.
THIRD DOCTOR
How very kind of them!
The Time Lord takes a deep breath to control his patience.
TIME LORD
You are incorrigibly meddlesome Doctor. But we've always felt that your hearts are in the right places.
The Third Doctor folds his arms.
THIRD DOCTOR
There’s more to it than that, isn’t there?
The Time Lord glances around, as if checking no one is watching.
TIME LORD
You and the Master will inevitably come into conflict. If, in the process, he should be captured – or destroyed - then...
THIRD DOCTOR
I see. You want me to do your dirty work for you!
TIME LORD
Your sentence will com up for review one day, Doctor. Any service you have rendered the Council will be... considered. But be careful. The Master has learnt a great deal since you last met him.
THIRD DOCTOR
I refuse to be worried by a renegade like the Master. He's a...
The Third Doctor shrugs, temporarily unable to think of an insult.
THIRD DOCTOR
He's an... unimaginative... plodder!
The Time Lord is unimpressed.
TIME LORD
His degree in cosmic science WAS of a higher class than yours.
Abashed, the Third Doctor rubs his neck.
THIRD DOCTOR
Yes, well, er, yes, well I...I was a late developer.
SIXTH DOCTOR (VO)
We’ve been trying to kill each other ever since.
23. INT. UNIT LAB (DAY) B&W
The third Doctor looks up as the DELGADO MASTER steps down the metal staircase in the corner, holding his tissue compression eliminator.
DELGADO MASTER
Good afternoon, Doctor. I hope I'm not interrupting anything important?
THIRD DOCTOR
No, no, indeed not. You've come here to kill me of course?
DELGADO MASTER
But not without...considerable regret.
THIRD DOCTOR
How very comforting.
DELGADO MASTER
You see Doctor, you're my intellectual equal...almost. I have so few worthy opponents. When they've gone, I always miss them.
THIRD DOCTOR
How did you get in here?
DELGADO MASTER
Oh, don't be trivial, Doctor. I see you've been working on the Nestene Autojet. My own small contribution to their invasion plan.
THIRD DOCTOR
Mmm, viscous, complicated and inefficient - typical of your way of thinking.
DELGADO MASTER
Now, come, come Doctor. Death is always more frightening when it strikes invisibly. It's a shame that you can't be here to enjoy the chaos and destruction with me. Goodbye Doctor.
He aims the implosion device at the Doctor.
THIRD DOCTOR
Don't worry, he's not going to kill me.
DELGADO MASTER
That is your last mistake.
- to be continued...
The Doctor peers through the glass of a window. Peri stands nearby.
PERI
Still no sign of anyone else. It’s just us in this house.
DOCTOR
Lonely, isn’t it?
PERI
What do you think happened to the others? Do you think they’re dead?
DOCTOR
At the moment it’s even odds if they ever existed. They could be right outside this window for all I know.
PERI
Can you see anything?
DOCTOR
No. Pitch dark.
The Doctor straighten up, then suddenly turns and kicks the window violently. He cries out and hops, clutching his foot. He tries to talk through the pain.
DOCTOR
Well, that seems to be that! We’re sealed in!
PERI
Great. So, how long do we wait before we start digging a tunnel?
The Doctor lowers his foot, trying to ignore the pain.
DOCTOR
How long has it been since we woke up?
PERI
How should I know? All the clocks aren’t working, remember?
The Doctor stares at her, clearly not remembering. Realization strikes.
DOCTOR
Ah, yes, of course. The time friction... Of course! That’s how he’s doing it! He’s smashed up the local continuum, spilling temporal distortion all over the area – the proverbial fist into the wedding cake. The TARDIS auto-systems would have kicked in and it would have aimed straight for the source of the distortion....
PERI
To plaster over the hole?
DOCTOR
Yes, to plaster over the hole, but somehow he’s managed to get time to seal around the house like amber! That’s why we can’t break out, because the doors and windows are frozen in one moment of time, a moment when they were intact and until they are released they must stay that way no matter what!
PERI
How did the ghost do that?
DOCTOR
He’s clever.
PERI
He?
DOCTOR
... it. Does it matter?
PERI
You know who the ghost is, don’t you?
DOCTOR
Yes. I know who the ghost is.
PERI
Well who is it?
DOCTOR
Just someone I went to school with.
10. INT. DRAWING ROOM (NIGHT)
Lit with green. The Colonel is sprawled in a chair, looking around him. Sunshine spills through the window. Two CHILDREN are playing with wooden toys at his feet. Birdsong. The Colonel smiles slightly, relaxing. Suddenly there is a cracking noise as the windows are shaken by a gale outside. It is now night. The wind moans eerily. The room is now dusty and decrepit. There is no sign of the children, the shelves are empty, the paintings fading. The Colonel looks around in confusion. The Master stands behind him.
MASTER
Time infects us all.
The Colonel looks at him, confused.
COLONEL
What?
MASTER
Time. Slick and insidious. Time is what drives us towards death. Its presence clogs the very pores of the universe.
The Master smiles and moves to where the abandoned toys are.
MASTER
I have seen the end, Colonel.
COLONEL
The end? Of what?
MASTER
The end. Singular.
COLONEL
Of the world?
MASTER
Of everything, Colonel. The world, sun, the moon, the stars. It all ends. I saw it all end. A sick, infinitely hot crunching of matter – and by that time there is no one left to hear. Once you realize this, it all becomes very simple. Undemanding.
He picks up a toy and crushes it with no effort.
COLONEL
You killed my son.
MASTER
If I did not, the universe would have taken him eventually.
The Colonel is furious. Scary furious.
COLONEL
And that justifies it?!
MASTER
Of course it justifies it.
The Colonel delves into his pocket and pulls out a gun.
MASTER
Ah yes. You see how quickly civilization melts away to let the baser instincts?
COLONEL
You’re some kind of... of ghost.
MASTER
Some kind, yes.
COLONEL
Bring Daniel back.
MASTER
Why should I?
COLONEL
Can you do it?
The Master doesn’t seem to hear him. He repeats the question exactly.
MASTER
Why should I?
COLONEL
Because I want my son back, you miserable scum!
MASTER
Why?
The Colonel stares at him.
COLONEL
He’s my flesh and blood.
MASTER
And? Is that all? You want power. You want control over your family. Control I took away. I understand those feelings. I once attempted to impose order on chaos. But no more. I doubt I would be able to revive your son. And I wouldn’t if I could.
The Colonel snarls and fires three times into the Master’s chest. The bullets smash into the wall behind him. One bullet shatters the glass of a painting. The Master chuckles.
MASTER
You see? Consequences are irrelevant! Something it took me an embarrassingly long time to work out for myself.
He advances on the Colonel.
MASTER
Once I realized that, I was free. Free to let my desires reign. I can indulge the darkness of my soul. Because it doesn’t matter, one way or another. I don’t wish to conquer the universe. Not any more.
The Colonel is now visible scared of the Master – as much by what he’s saying as much by his supernatural presence.
MASTER
I only want... destruction.
COLONEL
So you killed my son?
MASTER
Your son killed himself.
COLONEL
You drove him to it!
The Master nods thoughtfully. He sounds surprised and pleased with himself.
MASTER
Yes... I did, didn’t I? And unlike the universe, I gave that death meaning. I took enjoyment in the blood spilled. More than some accident, or old age would. Would you like to see the end of everything? To see what I’ve seen? To understand how meaningless it all is? Life without pain has no meaning. So you have a choice – to suffer the pain or be the one that inflicts it.
The Colonel, gritting his teeth, aims the gun at the Master’s head and pulls the trigger. The Master doesn’t miss a beat.
MASTER
I can see you yearn for the latter. Promising. Quite promising.
Struggling to control himself, the Colonel lowers his gun.
COLONEL
If I can, sir, I’ll kill you.
The Master is gone. The Colonel is left alone.
MASTER (VO)
I wish you joy of it.
11. INT. SHORT CORRIDOR (NIGHT)
The Doctor moves quickly down the steps, talking all the time.
DOCTOR
So that explains all the inexplicable noise, footsteps, knocking, creaking gates, voices... that presence we kept feeling, like we were being watched, not to mention the electrical interference and even full-blown visual apparitions. Psychic imprinting with a healthy dollop of temporal narcosis. Don’t you think?
PERI
And what about all the stuff about birds and Sphinxes?
DOCTOR
A poem by William Butler Yeats. Lovely Irish man, rather gullible. He believed that human history was divided into eras of 20 centuries in length, that the birth of Christ ushered in one such era and it would end on the turn of the century when a New Messiah appeared.
PERI
The Sphinx?
DOCTOR
Yes, and heralded by enormous desert birds.
PERI
Maurice said he saw some of them.
DOCTOR
Yes, well, what else was it Maurice said? That Daniel loved that poem? Think about it. Perhaps the ghost isn’t as undiluted as we thought. There must be some neural bleed back, some of Daniel’s thoughts getting mixed in with the parasite. Something minor like The Second Coming would be ignored, just froth on the surface.
PERI
So the era of Christianity isn’t about to end?
DOCTOR
Not like that, no. That’s the trouble with this mess – there are just as many random coincidences as there are genuine signs and portents, and the difficulty is in separating a given event from one or the other.
PERI
Maybe it’d work better if you told me who the ghost is?
DOCTOR
And maybe it wouldn’t.
PERI
Why don’t you just tell me?!
DOCTOR
Maybe it’s best for you not to know. Did you think of that?
PERI
Doctor, we’re trapped with this psycho ghost and you’re keeping things from me.
DOCTOR
You’re very clever, Peri. I’m sure you can work out. Someone we’ve met before, someone bearing a grudge, someone who died but has come back with a complicated scheme that uses mass slaughter, sadism and time manipulation. Someone who knows our secrets, knows what we’re afraid of and is prepared to use that knowledge. Answering to the name Dominus. Except it’s not Dominus, just the way Daniel’s confused thoughts perceived it.
PERI
Dominus...
Her eyes widen in realization.
PERI
Why didn’t you tell me sooner?
The Doctor avoids her gaze.
DOCTOR
Because I didn’t want to believe it was true.
The Doctor takes a deep breath.
DOCTOR
It’s the Master.
12. INT. BEDROOM (NIGHT)
The room is lit by the hallucinatory green glow. Emily is struggling to open the windows.
MASTER (VO)
It's hopeless.
Emily whirls around. The room seems to dip and sway, but she is alone.
EMILY
What? Who’s that?!
MASTER (VO)
You are aware of that, are you not?
EMILY
What do you mean? What’s hopeless?
She flinches as she sees the Master standing in the shadows of the corner. He steps out into the bilious green light.
MASTER
Life. Life is hopeless. Consequences are irrelevant. You and the rest of the universe spend all of your limited time trying to hold on to it, but it life is by definition guaranteed to slip through your fingers in the end. It’s what life does. Always.
EMILY
We all die some time.
MASTER
Some sooner than others.
EMILY
We have to try and make the best of it. Live life to the full.
MASTER
A quaint notion. But I don’t have to die. Unlike you.
EMILY
I don’t believe you.
MASTER
You should.
EMILY
The Doctor’s mad. Did you see his clothes? And his eyes? Quite mad.
MASTER
Is he? Or are you the one that’s mad... talking to a ghost, after all.
EMILY
No one can cheat death.
The Master grins a feral grin. He whispers.
MASTER
Except me. I have turned back death. I have seen beyond the mortal coil. Beyond the boundaries of the reality of this universe. A liberating experience.
EMILY
What did you see?
MASTER
Horrible things. Things for which your language could never describe. Words are wholly inadequate. Sights that gnaw at the mind until there is nothing left. But I can tell you that it is not a lonely place. There are... creatures. In the dark. Waiting for you to join them.
EMILY
I don’t want to join.
MASTER
You have no choice in the matter.
EMILY
You did. You must have. Otherwise, how did you come back?
MASTER
I am not like you. They want your soul, Emily Fforde-Jones.
EMILY
How did you escape them?
The Master smiles like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
MASTER
I had no soul to offer.
13. INT. SHORT CORRIDOR (NIGHT)
The Doctor and Peri sit on the stairs, quiet and brooding. Peri finally remembers how to speak and breaks out of her thoughts.
PERI
He’s dead. You said he...
DOCTOR
I never said that.
PERI
Yes you did!
DOCTOR
Did I? I suppose I must have. I was wrong.
PERI
How can you be wrong about something like that?!
DOCTOR
His survival instinct was always overdeveloped. He didn’t let death stop him last time, why should he now?
PERI
So, what, he’s come back to haunt us? I mean, literally haunt us?
DOCTOR
It seems so.
PERI
But... WHY?!
DOCTOR
He hates me.
PERI
That’s it?!
The Doctor looks at her, serious.
DOCTOR
It’s all he has. And, seemingly, it’s all he needs.
PERI
And he’s doing all this... making all of us suffer... just because of you?
DOCTOR
If you like.
PERI
No, I don’t like! What did you do to him to make him hate you so much?
DOCTOR
I don’t know.
PERI
Oh, that’s a lie. I can tell! What did you do?
DOCTOR
What does it matter? You won’t be able to use it. The Master is insane, Peri. Insane. No logic, no psychological ploy is going to stop him. You can’t appeal to his better nature, you can’t reason with him. He is malice. Nothing else. Not any more.
PERI
So he wasn’t always like that?
DOCTOR
Not at the start. We were friends. Good friends. We were... at university together.
PERI
Where Azmael taught?
DOCTOR
Azmael? Oh, yes. Azmael. Yes, he was one of our teachers. And we despised our society. So dull, routine, boring, unimaginative. So we left Gallifrey - on the same day, by the same means, but we never expected to see each other again. But we did. Kept bumping into each other, as if the universe wasn’t big enough for us to play nicely.
14. INT. LECTURE ROOM (DAY) B&W
THE SECOND DOCTOR and ZOE stand in a lecture hall with various STUDENTS wearing military uniforms of various ages. The Second Doctor is with a balding SCIENTIST, overlooking a strange machine fitted to a stand. All are wearing white visors.
SCIENTIST
And since we have now exceeded the time allotted for this demonstration I suggest you all continue to your next assignment.
SECOND DOCTOR
Oh thank you, hah. Come along Zoe.
There is a sound of an alert, and two black-clad GUARDS rush into the room. The Second Doctor stands back and moves his visor up, so that it sits on top of his head like a pair of sunglasses. THE MASTER enters, dressed as a war chief with a golden medallion.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Was the experiment successful?
SCIENTIST
Partly, partly. But the specimen showed signs of mental unbalance after the process.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Then the modifications were NOT successful?
SCIENTIST
But I think we've found the cause. One of the students has been extremely helpful to me, er, that one over there.
The scientist points. The Doctor, who still has his visor perched upon his head, grins modestly. The Master glares coldly at him as he recognizes him. The Doctor recognizes him back and is panicked.
DOCTOR
RUN ZOE, RUN!
The Doctor pushes his way through the surprised students, and rushes away, Zoe following him.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
STOP THEMMM!
The squad of guards fight through a gang of confused students in hot pursuit.
15. INT. SHORT CORRIDOR (NIGHT)
As before. Peri is now pacing. The Doctor has not moved.
PERI
That plan you said earlier. About stealing soldiers – it was him, wasn’t it? And you ruined the plan, cause, I mean, you’re you.
The Doctor, lost in thought, doesn’t reply.
PERI
That’s not enough for him to hate you this much.
DOCTOR
No.
PERI
So what happened?
DOCTOR
It doesn’t matter.
PERI
Why won’t you tell me?
DOCTOR
All right, Perpeguilliam. I sold him out, Peri. I betrayed him. I was the one that started it. It’s all my fault. The Master’s insane, hate-driven and a mass murderer but I was the one that struck first.
PERI
Why?
DOCTOR
It would be fairer to say I sold myself out as well. The Master had got in deep with a massive attempt to conquer the universe. The first of many, as it turned out. It all went down hill from there.
16. INT. WAR ROOM (NIGHT) B&W
A large chamber with a Y-shaped relief map. The Second Doctor is nervously wandering around the place. The War Chief Master watches on, unimpressed.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
You may have changed your appearance, but I know who you are.
SECOND DOCTOR
Oh do you?
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Your machine is a TARDIS. You're too familiar with it's controls to be a stranger.
SECOND DOCTOR
I had every right to leave.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Stealing a TARDIS? Oh I'm not criticizing you. We are two of a kind.
SECOND DOCTOR
We most certainly are NOT!
WAR CHIEF MASTER
We were both Time Lords. And we both decided to leave our race.
SECOND DOCTOR
I had reasons of my own.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Just as I had.
SECOND DOCTOR
Your reasons are only too obvious - power!
WAR CHIEF MASTER
We can bring peace to the galaxy - and you can help. You see, I'm not the cold-hearted villain you suppose me to be. My motives are purely peaceful.
SECOND DOCTOR
You have given these aliens our science and our knowledge to carry out this disgusting plan!
WAR CHIEF MASTER
We are going to bring a new order to the galaxy; one United Galactic Empire!
SECOND DOCTOR
An empire of slaves! With you as one of it's rulers!
The War Chief Master grins at the thought.
17. INT. WAR ROOM (NIGHT) B&W
The Second Doctor and the War Chief Master stand before the bespectacled WARLORD and his entourage of guards. The irritating SECURITY CHIEF is also present.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
I know this man, he is a fugitive from the Time Lords.
SECURITY-CHIEF
As you are.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
That's right, as I am.
WARLORD
Did you bring him here?
WAR CHIEF MASTER
No, he arrived by chance.
The Warlord turns to the Second Doctor.
WARLORD
Did the Time Lords send you?
SECOND DOCTOR
No.
WARLORD
Have you informed them?
WAR CHIEF MASTER
He dare not, that would betray him.
WARLORD
If he helps us destroy the resistance, if. His life will be spared. I hold you responsible for the success of the plan. Failure will mean death - to both of you.
The Warlord exits with the other. The Doctor checks they are gone for a moment.
SECOND DOCTOR
I never promised to help you!
WAR CHIEF MASTER
But you will. You have no alternative!
SECOND DOCTOR
But to help people like THAT conquer the galaxy?
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Not people like THAT. People like US! I intend to take over as Supreme Galactic Ruler. You can help me to rule - if you will cooperate.
18. INT. SHORT CORRIDOR (NIGHT)
As before.
DOCTOR
I couldn’t stop it. So I called in the Time Lords to do the work I couldn’t.
PERI
Sounds smart to me.
DOCTOR
Not when you, like the Master, are a wanted criminal exiled from society. I knew they’d fix the problem like that.
He snaps his fingers.
DOCTOR
But while they were there they’d try to kill two birds with one stone and get the pesky renegades at the same time. I gave us away. And once I did that, there was nowhere in time and space we could hide from them.
He rubs his eyes as if tired.
DOCTOR
There was no other way.
19. INT. WAR ROOM (DAY) B&W
It’s the sight of a battle. Bodies are sprawled everywhere. The Second Doctor, the War Chief Master, JAMIE and REBELS are present.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Doctor, you mustn't call them in or it will be the end of us. They'll show no mercy!
ZOE
What did he mean Doctor? Who mustn't you call?
SECOND DOCTOR
The only people who can put an end to this whole ghastly business and send everyone back to their own times. The Time Lords.
JAMIE
Wha? Who are they?
SECOND DOCTOR
They're my own people Jamie.
JAMIE
Oh, well that's alright then.
ZOE
But it isn't alright - is it Doctor?
SECOND DOCTOR
No it's not Zoe, but I'm afraid that there's no alternative.
The War Chief Master is restrained by the rebels.
WAR CHIEF MASTER
Don't do it Doctor, you can't! You know what will happen!
The Second Doctor looks up in surprise.
SECOND DOCTOR
He's gone! He must be trying to get away before the Time Lords get here!
20. INT. LANDING BAY (DAY) B&W
The War Chief Master is surrounded by the Warlord and guards. In a single movement the War Chief Master leaps onto the ramp and runs up, but is cut off by another two guards who appear from the doorway.
WARLORD
Kill him!
The guards simultaneously open fire on the War Chief and he is consumed in the combined energy bursts, slumping and rolling down the ramp. He screams.
21. INT. SHORT CORRIDOR (NIGHT)
The Doctor stiffly stands up and starts to pace, stretching.
DOCTOR
He survived of course. He always does.
PERI
He regenerated?
DOCTOR
Eventually. When the Time Lords arrived in force, they caught him too. They were surprisingly efficient, all things considered. But they didn’t take kindly to myself or the Master getting mixed up in the affairs of others. Time Lord justice... I’ve seen better.
PERI
So you became an exile? That’s why you can’t go home.
DOCTOR
More or less. The Master suffered... worse than I did. He never really forgave me.
PERI
That’s it?
DOCTOR
Does it matter? No, Peri, it wasn’t that, it was because, when we were naïve youths barely in our first century, I beat him at chess. I came top of the class. I got an air car for my birthday. I played truant one day and was never caught and he tried it and got shamed in front of his family. There are a million reasons you can come up with.
PERI
So, he was jealous?
DOCTOR
Envious. Maybe. I did do better than him at many things. But it wasn’t a contest, Peri. I wasn’t trying to prove anything, I never set out deliberately to undermine him. Maybe that was the point. Maybe if I HAD cared, if I HAD wanted all the success the Master wanted... NEEDED. He wanted to be the best at everything, and always came short. On top of that, I couldn’t care less.
PERI
You said you got kicked out of university.
DOCTOR
Too little too late. Not everything comes down to ACADEMIC success, you know.
PERI
What? Did you steal his girlfriend or something?
The Doctor double takes.
DOCTOR
Certainly not! What do you take me for?
PERI
OK, OK... but if this thing is so important... You never talk about him!
DOCTOR
I thought he was dead.
PERI
So? You talk about Turlough and the others, and Daleks and Cybermen...
DOCTOR
Maybe that’s it. Maybe that’s what drives him on. To destroy me, the person that couldn’t care less if I never saw the Master again. The person that beat him all those times. He wants me dead, but I don’t care about him as long as no one else gets hurt. He spends centuries plotting my destruction, I don’t give him a second thought. Is that the most unforgivable sin?
Peri shrugs.
22. EXT. OUTSIDE RT CONTROL ROOM (DAY) B&W
The gantry outside the control booth of a radio telescope. The THIRD Doctor whirls around as with a wheezing, groaning sound, a bowler-hatted middle-aged TIME LORD appears hovering in the sky and floats over until he stands before the Doctor.
TIME LORD
I came to warn you. An old acquaintance has arrived on this planet.
THIRD DOCTOR
Oh? One of our people?
TIME LORD
The Master as he calls himself these days.
THIRD DOCTOR
That jackanapes! All he ever does is cause trouble! You’re sure he’s here?
TIME LORD
We tracked him on the monitors. Then there was some kind of alien interference and we lost contact.
THIRD DOCTOR
Is his TARDIS still working?
TIME LORD
I’m afraid so. He got away before it could be de-energized.
THIRD DOCTOR
Lucky for him.
TIME LORD
Don’t be bitter, Doctor. Your punishment was comparatively light.
The Third Doctor snaps, furious, as he looms over the Time Lord.
THIRD DOCTOR
Whatever I’ve done, I too am still a Time Lord! Do you know what it’s like to be restricted to one TINY planet, one LIMITED era of time?!
The Time Lord shrugs.
TIME LORD
It IS your favorite planet, after all.
The Third Doctor tries to control his temper.
THIRD DOCTOR
Why did you take the trouble to warn me?
TIME LORD
The Master knows you’re on this planet, Doctor. You interfered with his scheme and he has sworn your destruction. He'll certainly try to kill you, Doctor. The tribunal thought that you ought to be made aware of your danger.
The Third Doctor sneers.
THIRD DOCTOR
How very kind of them!
The Time Lord takes a deep breath to control his patience.
TIME LORD
You are incorrigibly meddlesome Doctor. But we've always felt that your hearts are in the right places.
The Third Doctor folds his arms.
THIRD DOCTOR
There’s more to it than that, isn’t there?
The Time Lord glances around, as if checking no one is watching.
TIME LORD
You and the Master will inevitably come into conflict. If, in the process, he should be captured – or destroyed - then...
THIRD DOCTOR
I see. You want me to do your dirty work for you!
TIME LORD
Your sentence will com up for review one day, Doctor. Any service you have rendered the Council will be... considered. But be careful. The Master has learnt a great deal since you last met him.
THIRD DOCTOR
I refuse to be worried by a renegade like the Master. He's a...
The Third Doctor shrugs, temporarily unable to think of an insult.
THIRD DOCTOR
He's an... unimaginative... plodder!
The Time Lord is unimpressed.
TIME LORD
His degree in cosmic science WAS of a higher class than yours.
Abashed, the Third Doctor rubs his neck.
THIRD DOCTOR
Yes, well, er, yes, well I...I was a late developer.
SIXTH DOCTOR (VO)
We’ve been trying to kill each other ever since.
23. INT. UNIT LAB (DAY) B&W
The third Doctor looks up as the DELGADO MASTER steps down the metal staircase in the corner, holding his tissue compression eliminator.
DELGADO MASTER
Good afternoon, Doctor. I hope I'm not interrupting anything important?
THIRD DOCTOR
No, no, indeed not. You've come here to kill me of course?
DELGADO MASTER
But not without...considerable regret.
THIRD DOCTOR
How very comforting.
DELGADO MASTER
You see Doctor, you're my intellectual equal...almost. I have so few worthy opponents. When they've gone, I always miss them.
THIRD DOCTOR
How did you get in here?
DELGADO MASTER
Oh, don't be trivial, Doctor. I see you've been working on the Nestene Autojet. My own small contribution to their invasion plan.
THIRD DOCTOR
Mmm, viscous, complicated and inefficient - typical of your way of thinking.
DELGADO MASTER
Now, come, come Doctor. Death is always more frightening when it strikes invisibly. It's a shame that you can't be here to enjoy the chaos and destruction with me. Goodbye Doctor.
He aims the implosion device at the Doctor.
THIRD DOCTOR
Don't worry, he's not going to kill me.
DELGADO MASTER
That is your last mistake.
- to be continued...
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