The Doctor and Donna arrive in Pompeii one day before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 . They discover that the TARDIS was sold to sculptor Lobus Caecilius, and they search for it. At Caecilius's house, the Doctor and Donna meet the local augur , Lucius Petrus Dextrus, who has arrived to collect what resembles an oversized circuit board Caecilius has sculpted. The Doctor breaks into Lucius' house with Caecilius's son Quintus, and finds numerous circuit boards made by multiple sculptors without the others knowing. The Doctor deduces that the circuits will form an energy converter. The Doctor discovers that the Sibylline Sisterhood soothsayers are being slowly turned into stone creatures called Pyroviles . He escapes with Donna into the heart of Mount Vesuvius, and is faced with the choice of either erupting the volcano and killing Pompeii's inhabitants, or letting the Pyroviles use the converter to turn all of humanity into Pyroviles. The Doctor and Donna trigger the eruption and run for the TARDIS, leaving Caecilius and his family, but Donna begs the Doctor to go back and save them. The Doctor relents and saves Caecilius and his family, leaving them on a hill overlooking Pompeii.
The Doctor gets out of the TARDIS, pulls away a curtain and smiles. Donna steps beside him. THE DOCTOR: Ancient Rome. Well, not to them, obviously. To all intents and purposes, right now, this is brand new Rome. DONNA: Oh my God, it's... It's so Roman! This is fantastic! She hugs him. THE DOCTOR: Haha! DONNA (enthusiastic): I'm here, in Rome, Donna Noble, in Rome. This is just weird! I mean, everyone here's dead. THE DOCTOR: Well, don't tell them that. DONNA (sobered): Hold on a minute, that sign over there's in English. She points to a board advertising "Two amphoras for the price of one". DONNA: Are you having me on, are we in Epcot? THE DOCTOR: No, no, no, that's the TARDIS translation circuits, just makes it look like English. Speech as well, you're talking Latin right now. DONNA: Seriously? THE DOCTOR: Uh huh. DONNA: I just said "seriously" in Latin. THE DOCTOR: Oh yeah. DONNA: What if I said something in actual Latin? Like, "Veni, vidi, vici"? My dad said that when he came back from football. If I said "Veni, vidi, vici" to that lot, what would it sound like? THE DOCTOR: I'm not sure. You have to think of difficult questions, don't you? DONNA: I'm gonna try it. She walks to a stallholder. STALLHOLDER: Afternoon sweetheart. What can I get you, my love? DONNA: Ehm... Veni, vidi, vici. STALLHOLDER: Huh? Sorry? (gesticulating wildly) Me-no-speak-Celtic. No-can-do-missy. DONNA: Yeah. She walks back to the Doctor. DONNA: How's he mean, Celtic? THE DOCTOR: Welsh. You sound Welsh. There we are, learnt something. As they walk away, a red-cloaked soothsayer is watching them. DONNA: Don't our clothes look a bit odd? THE DOCTOR: Nah. Ancient Rome, anything goes. It's like Soho, but bigger. DONNA: You've been here before then? The young soothsayer is following them. THE DOCTOR: Mm. Ages ago. Before you ask, that fire had nothing to do with me. Well... a little bit. But I haven't got the chance to look around properly. Colosseum, Pantheon, Circus Maximus... you'd expect them to be looming by now. Where is everything? He looks up, then heads to a different alley, followed by Donna, and the soothsayer. THE DOCTOR: Try this way. They reach a wide street. Donna glimpses something. DONNA: Not an expert, but there's seven hills of Rome, aren't there? They both look at the one, huge mountain towering over the town. DONNA: How come they've only got one? There's a loud roar and an earthquake begins. POMPEII CITIZEN: Here we go again! The locals act like this is the most natural thing on earth, smiling while they try to prevent their properties falling down. DONNA: Wait a minute. One mountain. With smoke. Which makes this... THE DOCTOR: Pompeii. We're in Pompeii. And it's volcano day! OPENING CREDITS The soothsayer runs into a temple. She kneels and bows to the ground in front of a higher ranked priestess, Spurrina. SOOTHSAYER: I beg audience with the High Priestess of the Sibylline. SPURRINA: The High Priestess cannot be seen. What would you tell her, sister? SOOTHSAYER: It has come. As foretold in the prophecy. The box. The blue box. They both look confused, scared. The Doctor runs back, Donna in tow. He reaches the place where they left the TARDIS, pulls away the curtain, but sees nothing. Donna arrives beside him. DONNA: You're kidding. Not telling me the TARDIS has gone? THE DOCTOR: OK. DONNA: Where is it then? THE DOCTOR: You... told me not to tell you. DONNA: Oi. Don't get clever in Latin. THE DOCTOR: Hold on. He runs to the stallholder Donna talked with previously. THE DOCTOR: 'Scuse me, 'scuse me, there was a box, big blue box, big blue wooden box, just over there, where is it gone? STALLHOLDER (smugly): Sold it, didn't I? THE DOCTOR: But... it wasn't yours to sell! STALLHOLDER: It was on my patch, weren't it? I got 15 sesterce for it, lovely jubbly. THE DOCTOR: Who did you sell it to? STALLHOLDER: Old Caecilius. Look, if you want to argue, why don't you take it out with him? He's on Foss Street, big villa, can't miss it. THE DOCTOR: Thanks. He and Donna run away. Then the Doctor runs back, bemused. THE DOCTOR: What did he buy a big wooden box for? Roman Villa, the home of Caecilius and family. The TARDIS, having just been moved into the villa is surrounded by Caecilius and his servants, who are scurrying away. CAECILIUS (joyfully): Modern art! Out of the way, that's it! He hurries his servants out of the way who toddle off. CAECILIUS (talking to a servant): Oh Rombus, I'm a little bit peckish. Get me some ants in honey, there's a good man. Ooh, maybe a dormouse! Caecilius' wife, Metella, is watching on. It is clear on her face that she does not approve of this "modern art". CAECILIUS: What do you think? METELLA: You call it modern art; I call it a blooming great waste of space! CAECILIUS: We're going up in the world, my love! Lucius Dextrus is coming to the house this afternoon. And with our Evelina about to be elevated... Evelina, Metella and Caecilius' daughter, enters looking disdainful. EVELINA: Don't go on about it, dad. METELLA: If we'd moved to Rome like I said she could've been a Vestal virgin. Quintus, Metella and Caecilius' son, walks in, yawning and rubbing the back of his head, tired, hungover. QUINTUS: Someone mentioned vestal virgins? METELLA: Quintus don't be so rude! Appologise to the household Gods! QUINTUS: Get off! METELLA: Apologise, right now! The Gods are always watching! The house begins to shake and objects begin to move. The faces of the family suggest this is not unusual. Caecilius looks at the family and gasps. CAECILIUS: Positions! Each of the family members runs off to various points around the house to support one object or another, reminiscent of the scenes in Mary Poppins. The house stops shaking, the family relax. Metella gives Quintus an "I-told-you-so" look. METELLA: There, now you've made the heavens angry! Say sorry! Quintus walks towards a shrine in the corner, with less than enthusiasm. METELLA: I tell you Caecilius that boy will do no good! Quintus, at the shrine, performs a quick ritual. QUINTUS: Sorry household Gods. CAECILIUS: Where were you last night? Down the thelopolium I bet, covorting with Christians! And all sorts! How's your head sunshine? How's your head?! QUINTUS: Alright dad! Give us a break! METELLA: You want to smarten yourself up Quintus, before Lucius Dextrus gets here! Look at your sister. Metella walks proudly over to Evelina who looks bored of the same old speech. METELLA: She is giving us status! QUINTUS: Oh yeah! Cos it's all about Evelina! METELLA: She has the gift! Metella shows Quintus the eye on the back of Evelina's palms, just like the ones belonging to the Sisterhood. METELLA: She has the gift! Be proud of your sister for once! She turns to Evelina. METELLA: Have you been consuming? EVELINA: Not this morning. METELLA: Come on sweetheart, practise! She takes Evelina towards the hypocaust grille in the centre of the room. METELLA: It's hot today! A hypocaust on full blast! The mountain God must be happy! Breathe deeply! Remember what the sisterhood said. Evelina breaths the fumes of the furnace. It is clearly painful. EVELINA: It hurts! METELLA: My love, is it too hot? EVELINA: Sometimes in the smoke I see the most terrible things. METELLA: Like what? EVELINA: A face; a face of stone. METELLA: It'll make sense. One day, Sister Spurrina promised. The veil will be parted and you'll be a seer. Metella walks off, leaving Evelina to breath in the fumes. In the fire she sees the face of which she just spoke. EVELINA: Who are you? The Doctor is running down the street and collides with Donna who was approaching from the opposite direction. THE DOCTOR: Ha! I've got it. Foss Street, this way. He makes to turn around and drag her with him. DONNA: No! Well, I found this big sort of amphitheatre thing, we should start there, we can gather everyone together, maybe if we got a great big bell or something we could ring it, have they invented bells yet? THE DOCTOR: What do you want a bell for? DONNA: To warn everyone! Start the evacuation! What time does Vesuvius erupt, when's it due? THE DOCTOR: It's 79AD, 23rd of August, which makes volcano day tomorrow! DONNA: Plenty of time! We could get everyone out, easy! THE DOCTOR: Yeah, except we're not going to. DONNA: But that's what you do, you're the Doctor, you save people! THE DOCTOR: Not this time; Pompeii is a fixed point in history, what happens happens, there is no stopping it. He moves to go again but Donna pulls him back. DONNA: Says who? THE DOCTOR: Says me! DONNA: What, you're in charge?! THE DOCTOR: TARDIS, Time Lord, yeah! DONNA: Donna, human, no! I don't need your permission, I'll tell them myself! THE DOCTOR: You sound about the place, announce the end of the world, and they'll just think you're a mad old soothsayer, now come on! TARDIS, we are getting out of here! He walks hurriedly away. DONNA: Well I might just have something to say about that, Spaceman! THE DOCTOR: Oh, I bet you will! Donna follows after him, but the pair are watched by the young soothsayer again. She stops and covers her eyes with her palms. SOOTHSAYER: The tall one... he calls us mad... The Sybelline Sisters can talk with her through a telepathic link. SPURRINA: Then he is a stranger to Pompeii. Soon he will learn. Another Sister, Thalina, walks to Spurrina. THALINA: We have found it, Sister Spurrina, in the 13th book of the Sybilline Oracles. The blue box, a temple made of wood. And yet the Sybil foretold that the box would appear at the time of storms, and fire, and betrayal. A voice sounds out from the front of the temple, causing all the Sisters to stop what they are doing. HIGH PRIESTESS: Sisters... They walk forward reverently towards her, a figure hidden behind a thin curtain. SPURRINA: Reverend mother, you should sleep. HIGH PRIESTESS: The Sybilline Oracles are wrong! SPURRINA: But we have venerated her words for generations! HIGH PRIESTESS: This is a new age. Heed my words! I predict a future of prosperity and might, an endless empire of Pompeii, reaching out from this city to topple Rome itself, and encompass the whole, wide world! If the Disciples of the Blue Box defy this prophecy, their blood will run across the temple floor! A tremor shakes the room. SPURRINA: The gods approve! CAECILIUS: Positions! They all run, but Caecilius is too far from his precious statue, however, the Doctor arrives just in time to catch it. The earthquake stops. THE DOCTOR: There you go. CAECILIUS: Thank you, kind sir. I'm afraid bussiness is closed for the day. I'm expecting a visitor. THE DOCTOR: But that's me, I'm a visitor. Hello. He shakes his hand and dashes into the room. CAECILIUS: Who are you? THE DOCTOR: I am... Spartacus. DONNA: And so am I. CAECILIUS: Mr and Mrs Spartacus? THE DOCTOR: Oh no no no, we're not, we're not married. DONNA: We're not together. CAECILIUS: Oh, then brother and sister? Yes of course! You look very much alike. THE DOCTOR / DONNA: Really? CAECILIUS: I'm sorry, but I'm not open for trade. THE DOCTOR: And that trade would be? CAECILIUS: Marble. Lobus Caecilius. Mining, polishing and design thereof. If you want marble, I'm your man. THE DOCTOR: That's good. That's good, cos I'm marble inspector. METELLA: By the gods of commerce, an inspection! (taking away a cup of wine from Quintus). I'm sorry, sir. I do apologise for my son. QUINTUS: Oi! CAECILIUS: And this is my good wife, Metella. I... I must confess, we're not prepared for... THE DOCTOR: Nothing to worry about, I'm, I'm sure you've nothing to hide. Although, frankly, (he points to the TARDIS) that object looks rather like wood to me. METELLA (hissing): I told you to get rid of it. CAECILIUS (apologising): I only bought it today! THE DOCTOR: Ah, well... Caveat emptor. CAECILIUS: Oh, you're Celtic. There's lovely. THE DOCTOR: I'm sure it's fine, but I might have to take it off your hands, for a proper inspection. DONNA: Although while we're here, wouldn't you recommend a holiday, Spartacus? THE DOCTOR: Don't know what you mean, Spartacus. DONNA: Oh, this lovely family. Mother and father and son. Don't you think they should get out of town? CAECILIUS: Why should we do that? DONNA: Well, the volcano, for starters. CAECILIUS (puzzled): What? DONNA: Volcano. CAECILIUS: What-ano? DONNA: That great big volcano right on your doorstep... THE DOCTOR: Oh, Spartacus, for shame, we haven't even greeted the household gods yet. He drags Donna away to the shrine. THE DOCTOR (subdued, to Donna): They don't know what it is. Vesuvius is just a mountain to them, the top hasn't blown off yet. The Romans haven't even got a word for volcano. Not until tomorrow. DONNA (sarcastic): Oh, great, they can learn a new word. As they die. THE DOCTOR: Donna, stop it. DONNA: Listen, I don't know what sort of kids you've been flying round with in space, but you're not telling me to shut up. That boy, how old is he? Sixteen? And tomorrow, he burns to death. THE DOCTOR: And that's my fault? DONNA: Right now, yes. SERVANT: Announcing Lucius Petrus Dextrus, Chief Augur of the City Government. CAECILIUS: Lucius. My pleasure, as always. METELLA: Quintus, stand up! CAECILIUS: A rare and great honour, sir, for you to come to my house... He reaches out his hand, but Lucius keeps his right hidden under his cloak. LUCIUS: The birds are flying north, and the wind is in the west. CAECILIUS (puzzled): Quite. Absolutely. That's good, is it? LUCIUS: Only the grain of wheat knows where it will grow. CAECILIUS: There now, Metella. Have you ever heard such wisdom? METELLA: Never. It's an honour. CAECILIUS: Pardon me, sir, I have guests, this is Spartacus and... Spartacus. The Doctor and Donna wave at Lucius. LUCIUS: A name is but a cloud upon a summer wind. THE DOCTOR: But the wind is felt most keenly in the dark. LUCIUS: Ah. (taking it as chellenge). But what is the dark, other than an omen of the sun? THE DOCTOR: I concede that every sun must set... LUCIUS: Hah! THE DOCTOR: ... and yet the son of the father must also rise. LUCIUS: Damn. Very clever, sir. Evidently, a man of learning. THE DOCTOR: Oh, yes. But don't mind me, don't want to disturb the status quo. CAECILIUS: He's Celtic. THE DOCTOR: We'll be off in a minute. DONNA (subdued): I'm not going. CAECILIUS: It's ready, sir. THE DOCTOR (subdued, to Donna): You've got to. DONNA: Well, I'm not. CAECILIUS: The moment of revelation. He uncovers something that looks like a tile-sized circuit board, made of marble. CAECILIUS: And here it is! Exactly as you've specified. It pleases you, sir? LUCIUS: As the rain pleases the soil. THE DOCTOR: Oh, now that's... different. Who designed that, then? CAECILIUS: My Lord Lucius was very specific. THE DOCTOR: Where did you get the pattern? LUCIUS: On the rain and mist and wind. DONNA (to the Doctor): But that looks like a circuit. THE DOCTOR: Made of stone. DONNA: Do you mean you just dreamt that thing up? LUCIUS: That is my job. As City Augur. DONNA: What's that, then, like the mayor? THE DOCTOR: Oh! You must excuse my friend, she's from... Barcelona. (subdued, to Donna) Not, but this is an age of superstition, of official superstition. The Augur is paid by the city to tell the future. "The wind will blow from the west", that's the equivalent of Ten O'Clock News. Evelina enters the room, looking pale and sick. EVELINA: They're laughing at us. Those two, they use words like tricksters, they're mocking us. THE DOCTOR: No, no, no. I meant no offence. METELLA: I'm sorry, my daughter's been consuming the vapours. QUINTUS: Oh for gods, mother, what have you been doing to her? CAECILIUS: Not now, Quintus. QUINTUS: Yeah but she's sick, just look at her! LUCIUS: I gather I have a rival in this household. Another with the gift. METELLA (proudly): Oh, she's been promised to the Sibylline Sisterhood. They say she has remarkable visions. LUCIUS: The prophecies of women are limited and dull, only the menfolk have the capacity for true perception. DONNA: I'll tell you where the wind's blowing right now, mate. There's another loud roar from the mountain. LUCIUS: The Mountain God marks your words. I'd be careful, if I were you. THE DOCTOR: Consuming the vapours, you said? EVELINA: They give me strength. THE DOCTOR: It doesn't look like it to me. EVELINA: Is that your opinion... as a doctor? THE DOCTOR: I beg your pardon? EVELINA: Doctor, that's your name. THE DOCTOR (taken aback): How did you know that? EVELINA: And you... you call yourself Noble. METELLA: Now then, Evelina, don't be rude. THE DOCTOR: No, no, no, no, let her talk. EVELINA: You both come from so far away. LUCIUS: The female soothsayer is inclined to invent all sorts of vagaries. THE DOCTOR: Oh, not this time, Lucius. No, I reckon you've been out-soothsayed. LUCIUS: Is that so... man from Gallifrey ? THE DOCTOR: What? LUCIUS: Strangest of images... your home is lost in fire, is it not? DONNA: Doctor, what are they doing? LUCIUS: And you, daughter of... London. DONNA: How does he know that? LUCIUS: This is the gift of Pompeii. Every single oracle tells the truth. DONNA: That's impossible. LUCIUS: Doctor... she is returning. THE DOCTOR: Who is? Who's she? LUCIUS: And you, daughter of London... there is something on your back. DONNA (scared): What's that mean? EVELINA: Even the word "doctor" is false. Your real name is hidden. It burns in the stars, in the Cascade of Medusa herself. You are a Lord, sir. A Lord... of Time. She collapses, the Doctor and Metella run to her. METELLA: Evelina! Evelina is in bed, still unconscious. Her mother and Donna are with her. METELLA: She didn't mean to be rude, she's ever such a good girl. But when the gods speak through her... She unwraps the bandage on Evelina's arm, revealing grey skin beneath. DONNA: What's wrong with her arm? METELLA: Irritation of the skin. She never complains, bless her. We bathe it in olive oil every night. DONNA: What is it? METELLA: Evelina said you'd come from far away. Please, have you ever seen anything like...? Donna goes to touch it. DONNA: It's stone. The Doctor pulls away the grille of the hypocaust, revealing the chasm below. THE DOCTOR: Different sort of hypocaust. CAECILIUS: Oh, yes. We're very advanced in Pompeii. In Rome, they're still using the old wood-burning furnaces. But we've got hot springs, leading from Vesuvius itself. THE DOCTOR: Who thought of that? CAECILIUS: The soothsayers. After the great earthquake, 17 years ago. An awful lot of damage. But we rebuilt. THE DOCTOR: Didn't you think of moving away? No, then again, San Francisco... CAECILIUS: That's a new restaurant in... Naples? A howling sound comes from below. THE DOCTOR: What's that noise? CAECILIUS: Don't know. Happens all the time. They say the gods of the Underworld are stirring. THE DOCTOR: But after the earthquake, let me guess... Is that when the soothsayers started making sense? CAECILIUS: Oh, yes, very much so. I mean, they'd always been, shall we say, imprecise? But then, the soothsayers, the augurs, the haruspex, all of them, they saw the truth, again and again. It's quite amazing. They can predict crops and rainfall with absolute precision. THE DOCTOR: Haven't they said anything about tomorrow? CAECILIUS: No. Why, should they? Why d'you ask? THE DOCTOR: No, no, no I'm just asking. But the soothsayers, they all consume the vapours, yeah? CAECILIUS: That's how they see. THE DOCTOR: Ipso facto... CAECILIUS: Look you... THE DOCTOR: They're all consuming this. He rubs something between his fingers, then tastes it. CAECILIUS: Dust? THE DOCTOR: Tiny particles of rock. They're breathing in Vesuvius. Quintus is lying on a sofa, drinking wine, bored. THE DOCTOR: Quintus, me old son. This Lucius Petrus Dextrus, where does he live? QUINTUS: It's nothing to do with me. THE DOCTOR: Let me try again. This Lucius Petrus Dextrus... He pulls out a coin from behind Quintus' ear. THE DOCTOR: Where does he live? Now Quintus gets interested. He leads the Doctor to Lucius' house. QUINTUS: Don't tell my dad. The Doctor climbs in through the window. THE DOCTOR: Only if you don't tell mine. Pass me that torch! After a moment of hesitation, Quintus follows him into the house. They look around and see some drapes. The Doctor pulls it away to reveal six stone circuits similar to the one Caecilius has made. QUINTUS: The liar! He told my father it was the only one. THE DOCTOR: Well, plenty of marble merchants in this town. Tell them all the same thing, get all the components from different places, so no-one can see what you're building. QUINTUS: Which is what? Lucius appears, followed by two armed guards. LUCIUS: The future. Doctor, we are building the future. As dictated by the gods. Evelina is now sitting on her bed, laughing as she watches Donna pose in a purple toga. DONNA: You're not supposed to laugh. Thanks for that. What d'you think? The Goddess Venus. EVELINA (laughing): Oh, that's sacrilege. DONNA: Nice to see you laugh, though. (She sits beside Evelina) What d'you do in old Pompeii, then, girls your age? You got... mates? D'you go hanging about round the shops? TK Maximus? EVELINA: I am promised to the Sisterhood for the rest of my life. DONNA: D'you get any choice in that? EVELINA: It's not my decision. The Sisters chose for me. I have the gift of sight. DONNA: Then... what can you see happening tomorrow? EVELINA: Is tomorrow special? DONNA: You tell me. What d'you see? She closes her eyes, smiling. EVELINA: The sun will rise. The sun will set. Nothing special at all. DONNA: Look, don't tell the Doctor I said anything cos he'll kill me, but I've got a prophecy too. Evelina, looking worried, covers her eyes with her hands, creating a link to the Sisterhood so they can also hear Donna. DONNA (her voice echoing also in the Temple of Sybil): Evelina, I'm sorry, but you've got to hear me out. SPURRINA: Sisters! DONNA: Evelina, can you hear me? Listen... EVELINA: There is only one prophecy. DONNA: But everything I'm about to say to you is true. I swear. Just listen to me. Tomorrow, that mountain is gonna explode. Evelina, please listen. The air is gonna fill with ash and rocks, tons and tons of it, this whole town is gonna get buried. EVELINA: That's not true. DONNA: I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. But everyone's gonna die. SPURRINA: A new prophecy! THALINA: Impossible. There is only one. DONNA: Even if you don't believe me, just... tell your family to get out of town. Just for one day, just for tomorrow. But you've got to get out. You've got to leave Pompeii! EVELINA (in despair): This is false prophecy! SPURRINA (kneeling in front of the High Priestess): The noblewoman. She spoke of a new prophecy, the fall of Pompeii. HIGH PRIESTESS: Pompeii will last forever. SPURRINA: Then what must we do? HIGH PRIESTESS: The false prophet must die. Sacrifice her! The Doctor is arranging the stone circuits on the shelf. THE DOCTOR: Put this one... there. This one... there. Er, keep that one upside down, and what we got? LUCIUS: Enlighten me. THE DOCTOR: What, the soothsayer doesn't know? LUCIUS: A seed may float on the breeze in any direction. THE DOCTOR: Yeah, I knew you would say that. But it's an energy converter. LUCIUS: An energy converter of what? THE DOCTOR: I don't know. Isn't that brilliant? I love not knowing. Keeps me on my toes. It must be awful being a prophet, waking up every morning, 'Is it raining? Yes it is, I said so.' Takes all the fun out of life. But who designed this, Lucius? Hm? Who gave you these instructions? LUCIUS: I think you've babbled enough. THE DOCTOR: Lucius, really, tell me, honestly I'm on your side. I can help. LUCIUS: You insult the gods. There can be only one sentence. At arms! THE DOCTOR: Oh, morituri te salutant. LUCIUS: Celtic prayers won't help you now. QUINTUS: But it was him sir, he made me do it. Mr Dextrus, please, don't. THE DOCTOR: Come on now, Quintus, dignity in death. I respect your victory, Lucius. (He reaches out his hand). Shake on it? Come on. Dying man's wish? He grabs Lucius' right beneath the cloak, and breaks it off! LUCIUS: Aargh! QUINTUS: But he's... THE DOCTOR: Show me. Lucius throws back the cloak, revealing the strump of his right hand, all stoned. LUCIUS (proud): The work of the gods. QUINTUS: He's stone! THE DOCTOR: 'Armless enough, though. Whoops! (He throws the arm at Lucius). Quintus! Quintus throws the torch at the guards, the Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver to push the circuits off the shelf, then he and Quintus jump out through the window. LUCIUS: The carvings! THE DOCTOR: Run! LUCIUS: My carvings! (He picks one up). The work is unbroken. The Doctor and Quintus run on the street. Lucius talks into the hypocaust. LUCIUS: Oh, Lord of the Mountain, I beseech you! This man would prevent the rise of Pompeii. Lord, I beg of you, show yourself. Show yourself! Down in the chasm, a stone creature with glowing eyes roars back to him. The Doctor and Quintus stop running. THE DOCTOR: No sign of them. Nice little bit of allons-y. I think we're all right. QUINTUS: But his arm, Doctor. Is that what's happening to Evelina? They hear a deep, loud bang. THE DOCTOR: What was that? QUINTUS: The mountain? It is repeated, and then over and over again. It shatters the ground. THE DOCTOR: No, it's closer. Footsteps... QUINTUS: It can't be. THE DOCTOR: Footsteps underground. QUINTUS: What is it? What is it? The Doctor grabs him and they run. In Caecilius' villa they can hear and feel it too. The family and servants rush together. METELLA: What is it? What's that noise? CAECILIUS: Doesn't sound like Vesuvius! The Doctor and Quintus arrive. THE DOCTOR: Caecilius, all of you! Get out! DONNA: Doctor! What is it? THE DOCTOR: I think we're being followed. Just get out! But they stand there, stunned, watching as the grille of the hypocaust flies away and a huge creature, a Pyrovile emerges from beneath. EVELINA: The gods are with us. THE DOCTOR: Water! We need water! Quintus, all of you, get water! Donna! Donna, Quintus and most servants obey. But one servant just steps in front of the Pyrovile. SERVANT: Blessed are we to see the gods. The Pyrovile blows fire at him, burning him to dust. The Doctor steps between the family and the Pyrovile, trying to negotiate. THE DOCTOR: Talk to me, that's all I want! Talk to me, you just tell me you are. Don't hurt these people! In the meantime, Donna has fetched a bucket, but she is kidnapped by the Sibylline Sisters before she could return to help. DONNA (muffled) : Doctor! Doctor! THE DOCTOR: Talk to me! I'm the Doctor, just tell me who you are. Quintus and a servant return and pour water on the Pyrovile. That puts its fire out and the whole thing collapses, shattering to pieces of rock. CAECILIUS: What was it? THE DOCTOR: Carapace of stone, held together by internal magma, not too difficult to stop. But I reckon that's just the foot soldier. METELLA: Doctor, or whatever your name is, you bring bad luck on this house. THE DOCTOR: I thought your son was brilliant, aren't you gonna thank him? (Metella and Caecilius hug Quintus). Still... If there are aliens at work in Pompeii, it's a good thing we stayed. Donna! But she is nowhere... THE DOCTOR: Donna? Donna? Donna is tied to a stone altar, Spurrina stands beside her with a huge knife, the other Sisters in a circle around them. DONNA: You have got to be kidding me. SPURRINA: The False Prophet will surrender both her blood and her breath. DONNA: I'll surrender you in a minute. Don't you dare! SPURRINA: You will be silent. DONNA: Listen, sister, you might have eyes on the back of your hands, but you'll have eyes in the back of your head by the time I've finished with you! Let me go! SPURRINA: This prattling voice will cease forever! THE DOCTOR: Oh, that'll be the day. The sisters are shocked by his appearance. Donna smiles at him. SPURRINA: No man is allowed to enter the Temple of Sibyl. THE DOCTOR: Well, that's all right, just us girls. Do you know, I met the Sibyl once, yeah, hell of a woman. Blimey, she could dance the Tarantella! Nice teeth. Truth be told, I think she had a bit of a thing for me. I said it would never last, she said, "I know". Well, she would. (To Donna): You all right there? DONNA (sarcastic): Oh, never better. THE DOCTOR: I like the toga. DONNA: Thank you. And the ropes? THE DOCTOR: Yeah, not so much. He frees her with the sonic. SPURRINA: What magic is this? THE DOCTOR: Let me tell you about the Sibyl, the founder of this religion. She would be ashamed of you. All her wisdom and insight turned sour. Is that how you spread the word, hey? On the blade of a knife? SPURRINA: Yes, a knife that now welcomes you! She lifts the knife at him. HIGH PRIESTESS: Show me this man! The sisters turn toward her bed and kneel down, except Spurrina who still stands behind the altar. SPURRINA: High Priestess, the stranger would defile us. HIGH PRIESTESS: Let me see. This one is different. He carries starlight in his wake. The Doctor and Donna step closer to the bed. THE DOCTOR: Oh, very perceptive. Where do these words of wisdom come from? HIGH PRIESTESS: The gods whisper to me. THE DOCTOR: They've done far more than that. Might I beg audience? Look upon the High Priestess? The curtains of the bad are drawn aside, revealing the High Priestess, a former human by now almost entirely turned to stone. DONNA: Oh, my God. What's happened to you? HIGH PRIESTESS: The heavens have blessed me. THE DOCTOR: If I might... He steps closer, touching the priestess' hand. THE DOCTOR: Does it hurt? HIGH PRIESTESS: It is necessary. THE DOCTOR: Who told you that? HIGH PRIESTESS: The voices. DONNA: Is that what's gonna happen to Evelina? Is this what's gonna happen to all of you? Spurrina shows her her hand, which is turning to stone like Evelina's. SPURRINA: The blessings are manifold. DONNA: They're stone. THE DOCTOR: Exactly. The people of Pompeii are turning to stone before the volcano erupts. But why? HIGH PRIESTESS: This word, this image in your mind. This volcano... what is that? THE DOCTOR: More to the point, why don't you know about it? Who are you? HIGH PRIESTESS: High Priestess of the Sibylline. THE DOCTOR: No, no, no, no, no, I'm talking to the creature inside you. The thing that's seeding itself into a human body, in the dust, in the lungs, taking over the flesh and turning it into... what? HIGH PRIESTESS: Your knowledge... is impossible. THE DOCTOR: Oh, but you can read my mind, you know it's not. I demand you tell me who you are! Her voice changes, now she speaks as a Pyrovile. HIGH PRIESTESS / PYROVILE: We... are... awakening. SPURRINA: The voice of the gods! SISTERS (chanting non-stop): # Words of wisdom, words of power. Words of wisdom, words of power... THE DOCTOR: Name yourself! Planet of origin. Galactic coordinates. Species designation according to the universal ratification of the Shadow Proclamation. HIGH PRIESTESS / PYROVILE: We... are... rising. THE DOCTOR: Tell... me... your name! HIGH PRIESTESS / PYROVILE: Pyrovile. SISTERS: # Pyrovile, Pyrovile, Pyrovile... DONNA: What's a Pyrovile? THE DOCTOR: Well that's a Pyrovile, growing inside her. She's a halfway stage. DONNA: What, and that turns into... THE DOCTOR: That thing in the villa, that was an adult Pyrovile. HIGH PRIESTESS / PYROVILE: And the breath of a Pyrovile will incinerate you, Doctor. The Doctor pulls out a small yellow water pistol. THE DOCTOR: I warn you, I'm armed! Donna, get that grille open. DONNA: What for? THE DOCTOR: Just... (To the priestess) : What are the Pyrovile doing here? HIGH PRIESTESS / PYROVILE: We fell from the heavens. We fell so far and so fast, we were rendered into dust. THE DOCTOR: Right, creatures of stone, shattered on impact. When was that, 17 years ago? HIGH PRIESTESS / PYROVILE: We have slept beneath for thousands of years. THE DOCTOR: OK, so 17 years ago woke you up, and now you're using human bodies to reconstitute yourselves, but why the psychic powers? HIGH PRIESTESS / PYROVILE: We opened their minds and found such gifts. THE DOCTOR: OK, get that fine, so you force yourself inside a human brain, use the latent psychic talent to bond, I get that, I get that, yeah. But seeing the future, that is way beyond psychic, you can see through time. Where does the gift of prophecy come from? DONNA: Got it! THE DOCTOR: Now get down! DONNA: What, down there? THE DOCTOR: Yes, down there. Why can't this lot predict a volcano? Why is it being hidden? SPURRINA: Sisters, I see into his mind. The weapon is harmless! THE DOCTOR: Yeah, but it's got a sting. He sprays the High Priestess with water. She screams in pain. THE DOCTOR (to Donna): Get down there! They jump down, while the Sisters run to help their High Priestess. DONNA: You fought her off with a water pistol. I bloody love you! THE DOCTOR: This way! DONNA: Where are we going now? THE DOCTOR: Into the volcano. DONNA: No way. THE DOCTOR: Yes way. Appian way! HIGH PRIESTESS / PYROVILE: The stranger would threaten our great endeavour. The time has come. The prophecy must advance! LUCIUS: The prophecy must advance. Thy will be done. Summon the Cult of Vulcan. SERVANT: Yes, sir. LUCIUS: We must go to the mountain. Vesuvius awaits. CAECILIUS: Sunrise, my love. A new day. Even the longest night must end. QUINTUS: The mountain's worse than ever. METELLA: We killed a messenger of the gods in our own house. (To Evelina) : Sweetheart, can you see? Tell us. What's going to happen? QUINTUS: Just... leave her alone. EVELINA: I can see... METELLA: What is it? EVELINA: A choice. Someone must make a choice. (In tears) The most terrible choice. DONNA: But if it's aliens setting off the volcano, doesn't that make it all right, for you to stop it? THE DOCTOR: Still part of history. DONNA: But I'm history to you. You saved me, in 2008, you saved us all. Why's that different? THE DOCTOR: Some things are fixed, some things are in flux. Pompeii is fixed. DONNA: How do you know which is which? THE DOCTOR: Because that's how I see the universe. Every waking second, I can see what is, what was, what could be, what must not. That's the burden of the Time Lord, Donna. And I'm the only one left. DONNA: How many people died? THE DOCTOR: Stop it. DONNA: Doctor, how many people died? THE DOCTOR: 20,000. DONNA: Is that what you can see, Doctor? All 20,000? And you think that's all right, do you? There's a loud howl. THE DOCTOR: They know we're here. Come on! Lucius leads six black-cloaked people, each carrying a stone circuit, and the two armed guards to an opening in the side of Vesuvius. LUCIUS: Almighty Vesuvius, accept these offerings, in Vulcan's design, and show unto us, I beseech you, the gods of the Underworld. A Pyrovile comes out to them. The Doctor and Donna arrive to a gigantic cave. THE DOCTOR: It's the heart of Vesuvius. We're right inside the mountain. DONNA: There's tons of them. THE DOCTOR: What's that thing? He uses a telescope to take a better look of a round thing in the middle of the cave. He can see the carvings inside. DONNA: Oh, you better hurry up and think of something, Rocky fall's on its way. THE DOCTOR: That's how they arrived. Or what's left of it. Escape pod? Prison ship? Gene bank? DONNA: But why do they need a volcano? Maybe... it erupts, and they launch themselves back into space or something? THE DOCTOR: Oh, it's worse than that. DONNA: How could it be worse? (There's another howl). Doctor, it's getting closer. LUCIUS (from the other side of the cave): Heathens! Defile us! They would desecrate your temple, My Lord Gods! THE DOCTOR: Come on! They run toward the middle of the cave. DONNA: We can't go in! THE DOCTOR: Well, we can't go back! LUCIUS: Crush them! Burn them! A Pyrovile steps in front of them, but the Doctor kills it with the water pistol, then they run toward the escape pod. LUCIUS: There is nowhere to run, Doctor, and daughter of London. THE DOCTOR: Now then, Lucius, My Lords Pyrovillian, don't get yourselves in a lather. In a lava? No? No. But if I might beg the wisdom of the gods before we perish... once this new race of creatures is complete, then what? LUCIUS: My masters will follow the example of Rome itself. An almighty empire, bestriding the whole of civilization. DONNA: But if you've crashed, and you've got all this technology, why don't you just go home? LUCIUS: The Heaven of Pyrovillia is gone. THE DOCTOR: What d'you mean, "gone"? Where's it gone? LUCIUS: It was taken. Pyrovillia is lost. But there is heat enough in this world for a new species to rise. THE DOCTOR: Yeah, I should warn you, it's 70% water out there. LUCIUS: Water can boil. And everything will burn, Doctor. THE DOCTOR: Then the whole planet is at stake. Thank you. That's all I needed to know. Donna! They get inside the pod, the Doctor seals the door with the sonic. LUCIUS: You have them, My Lords! DONNA: Could we be any more trapped? The Pyroviles start to blow fire at the pod. DONNA: Little bit hot. THE DOCTOR: See? The energy converter takes the lava, uses the power to create a fusion matrix, which welds Pyrovile to human. Now it's complete, they can convert millions. DONNA: But can't you change it? With these controls? THE DOCTOR: Course I can, but don't you see? That's why the soothsayers can't see the volcano. There is no volcano. Vesuvius is never gonna erupt. The Pyrovile are stealing all its power, and they use it to take over the world. DONNA: But... you can change it back? THE DOCTOR: I can invert the system, set off the volcano, and blow them up, yes. But... that's the choice, Donna. It's Pompeii or the world. DONNA (shocked): Oh, my God. THE DOCTOR: If Pompeii is destroyed then it's not just history. It's me. I make it happen. DONNA: But the Pyrovile are made of rocks, maybe they can't be blown up. THE DOCTOR: Vesuvius explodes with the force of 24 nuclear bombs. Nothing can survive it. Certainly not us. DONNA: Never mind us. THE DOCTOR: Push this lever and it's over. 20,000 people. He seems uncertain, unwilling to take responsibility for so many death, even for the sake of the whole planet. Donna puts her hands at his. They look at each other, then push it down together. Hell breaks loose. Those with the gift of foresight scream in agony. LUCIUS: Nooooooo! SPURRINA: A new prophecy! EVELINA: The future is changing! Vesuvius erupts. There's a huge cloud of smoke and ash, but we can see the escape pod flying out. CAECILIUS: Sky is falling! EVELINA (in tears): Death. Only death! The Doctor and Donna get out of the pod, they are outside the town. THE DOCTOR: It was an escape pod. He grabs Donna's hand and they run back towards the town, the TARDIS. Clouds of ash hide the sun. The town is chaotic, people screaming, panicking, trying to escape. CAECILIUS: Out! Out, everybody out! Quickly! In the Temple of Sybil, the High Priestess / Pyrowile is still howling. Spurrina and Thalina are crouching in front of the altar, holding the unconscious young soothsayer in their laps. SPURRINA: You lied to us! And yet, this was meant to be. The Doctor and Donna run through the chaos on the streets. Donna still tries to save people but nobody listens to her. DONNA: Don't! Don't go to the beach! Don't go to the beach, go to the hills! Listen to me! Don't go to the beach, it's not safe! Listen to me...! She sees a little boy crying, alone, and goes to him. DONNA: Come here. The mother snatches him. WOMAN: Give him to me! Donna just stands there crying, devastated, until the Doctor grabs his hand. THE DOCTOR: Come on. They reach Caecilius' villa. The family is crouching on the ground, hugging each other, crying. CAECILIUS: God save us, Doctor! The Doctor looks at them, then turns away and enters the TARDIS. DONNA: No! Doctor you can't! She knows she should go, but can't leave them behind. DONNA: Doctor! The TARDIS engines start working. Donna finally runs inside. DONNA: You can't just leave them! THE DOCTOR: Don't you think I've done enough? History's back in place and everyone dies. DONNA: You've got to go back! Doctor, I'm telling you, take this thing back! (After a pause, quietly). It's not fair. THE DOCTOR: No, it's not. DONNA: But your own planet... It burned. THE DOCTOR: That's just it. Don't you see, Donna? Can't you understand? If I could go back and save them then I would, but I can't. I can never go back, I can't. I just can't, I can't. DONNA (in tears): Just someone. Please. Not the whole town. Just save someone. The Doctor gives her a long look, before finally making up his mind. The TARDIS rematerializes in Caecilius' villa. Surrounded by blinding light, the Doctor reaches out his hand to Caecilius. THE DOCTOR: Come with me. They grab each other's hand. The Doctor, Donna and Caecilius' family are standing on a hillside, watching the destruction of Pompeii. THE DOCTOR: It's never forgotten, Caecilius. Oh, time will pass, men will move on, and stories will fade. But one day, Pompeii will be found, again. In thousands of years. And everyone will remember you. DONNA: What about you, Evelina? Can you see anything? EVELINA: The visions have gone. THE DOCTOR: The explosion was so powerful it cracked open a rift in time. Just for a second. That's what gave you the gift of prophecy. It echoed back into the Pyrovillian alternative. But not any more. You're free. METELLA: But tell me, who are you, Doctor? With your words, and your temple containing such size within? THE DOCTOR: Oh, I was never here. Don't tell anyone. CAECILIUS: The great god Vulcan must be enraged! It's so volcanic. It's like some sort of... volcano. (Choking). All those people. Metella hugs him, crying. Evelina and Quintus hold each other's hands. The Doctor and Donna enter the TARDIS quietly. DONNA (sincere): Thank you. THE DOCTOR: Yeah. You were right. Sometimes I need someone. Welcome aboard. DONNA: Yeah. They share a smile. ROME, 6 MONTHS LATER CAECILIUS: Metella, my love, have you seen that clasp? The beetle one. The Egyptians do love a scarab. METELLA: Here we are, I was giving it a polish. Now calm down. CAECILIUS: If I get that contract, for the marble granaries of Alexandria, we'll be rich, you'll see... Hold on there, Evelina. You are not going out wearing that! EVELINA: Don't start, Dad, it's what all the girls in Rome are wearing. (She kisses her dad). See you later. CAECILIUS: Are you seeing that boy again? METELLA (so proud): Oh, look at Quintus. My son, the doctor. QUINTUS: Mum, I've told you, I'm not a doctor, not yet. I'm just a student of the physical sciences. METELLA: Well, that's a doctor to me. (She kisses his forehead). Give thanks to the household gods before you go. There's a good boy. (To Caecilius) : Come here, let me fix it. You've got that folded all wrong... QUINTUS: Thank you, household gods. Thank you for everything. We see the new carving in the shrine: the Doctor, Donna, and the TARDIS as their temple.
The Fires of Pompeii