In the year 4000, the Daleks conspire to conquer the Solar System. Their scheme involves treachery at the highest levels and a weapon capable of destroying the very fabric of time. Only the Doctor and his friends can prevent catastrophe - and there is no guarantee they will escape with their lives...
Counterplot 5:50pm - 6:15pm [SCENE_BREAK] 1: INT. EARTH. EXPERIMENTAL STATION. CORRIDOR (SARA KINGDOM comes out of the office.) SARA KINGDOM: (Shouts.) Borkar! Borkar, where are you? (BORKAR, another security guard, comes running in from the other end of the corridor.) BORKAR: Yes? SARA KINGDOM: The two fugitives have escaped. All exits to the main block are to be guarded. (BORKAR points his gun at the body of Bret Vyon who lies out of sight in the office.) BORKAR: That's Bret Vyon! SARA KINGDOM: Yes, he's dead. The others must be killed as well. They will be shot on sight... (BORKAR runs off to obey the order. SARA calls after him.) SARA KINGDOM: But aim for the head! (She runs off.) [SCENE_BREAK] 2: INT. EARTH. EXPERIMENTAL STATION. ANOTHER CORRIDOR (The DOCTOR and STEVEN run down the corridor and stop by a closed door marked with a large 'J'.) DOCTOR: Where's Bret? STEVEN: He's right behind us, I think. He's probably dealing with that girl. DOCTOR: Oh, most irritating man! (The DOCTOR presses a switch next to the door which then slides open.) DOCTOR: Come along in here, quickly. [SCENE_BREAK] 3: INT. EARTH. EXPERIMENTAL STATION. CHAMBER (They enter a brightly-lit room through a curved archway. Unusual angled screen-like panels stand on the edge of the room forming a square.) STEVEN: Strange room. DOCTOR: Now I wonder what that is? (The DOCTOR points to a small satellite-like device in the middle of the room. Mice can be seen in the perspex centre part of the device. The creatures are on an upper level of the device. In the lower level, there are various pieces of machinery. It emits a regular pulsing sound, almost like a signal. They walk over to examine it.) STEVEN: Yeah, there are mice inside. Funny sort of cage for mice. DOCTOR: Yes, it, er, could be some kind of...transmitter, mm? (STEVEN glances at the door.) STEVEN: Hope Bret finds us. DOCTOR: Well, I suggest you stay at that door and if you hear any noise outside it's bound to be him. STEVEN: Yes, if he's moving fast enough. (STEVEN moves to the edge of the room listening for noise while the DOCTOR takes a closer look at the device and mutters to himself...) DOCTOR: Yes, mice, yes. Perhaps it is some kind of experiment? [SCENE_BREAK] 4: INT. EARTH. EXPERIMENTAL STATION. CONTROL ROOM (In a room where the walls are covered in control panels are two scientists - the dark haired FROYN and the older, white haired, slightly doddering RHYNMAL. They wear dark patterned sleeveless tunics embossed with an abstract pattern over lighter tops. They are performing final checks before their experiment on the wall panel instruments and on control consoles in the middle of the room. FROYN, sat at a central console, speaks to his older companion.) FROYN: Are they ready yet? RHYNMAL: Pressure count seems to have risen again. FROYN: We'll have to go ahead anyway. All Continuum readings are perfect. RHYNMAL: No, wait, just for a moment. (BORKAR and a Technic enter the room through a sliding door. They quickly look round.) BORKAR: Have you seen two strangers? FROYN: Get out! BORKAR: We're looking for two men who headed in this direction. FROYN: I don't care who you're looking for. We're in the middle of a highly complicated experiment - now get out of here! RHYNMAL: We're all right now. All readings registering normal. FROYN: Good. (To the security men.) Once again, will you get out of here? (The two security men leave, sliding shut the panelled door behind them. FROYN goes back to his console.) FROYN: Starting dissemination countdown in ten seconds...from...now. (He presses a switch.) [SCENE_BREAK] 5: INT. EARTH. EXPERIMENTAL STATION. CHAMBER (STEVEN walks back into the room from the doorway.) STEVEN: I think I heard someone. [SCENE_BREAK] 6: INT. EARTH. EXPERIMENTAL STATION. CORRIDOR (SARA KINGDOM is quietly sliding up to the door of the chamber with a gun in her hand. She opens and enters the door. The Technic rounds the corner a second later and sees her enter the room and then hears her imperious voice call out.) SARA KINGDOM: (OOV: Inside the room.) You will stay right where you are, both of you. (The Technic runs off to get help.) [SCENE_BREAK] 7: INT. EARTH. EXPERIMENTAL STATION. CHAMBER (SARA keeps the DOCTOR and STEVEN covered with her gun.) SARA KINGDOM: I'll give you five seconds to hand over that Taranium. DOCTOR: Let me speak, please... SARA KINGDOM: The Taranium! (Suddenly the room is filled with a brilliant light and a loud piercing electronic noise. SARA'S face is filled with pain. The DOCTOR and STEVEN have the same reaction. The glare in the room increases along with the build-up of the noise.) [SCENE_BREAK] 8: INT. EARTH. EXPERIMENTAL STATION. CORRIDOR (The noise carries through the plant. The Technic has fetched BORKAR and they both rush up to the closed door. BORKAR starts to bang on the door.) BORKAR: ... Open up! [SCENE_BREAK] 9: INT. EARTH. EXPERIMENTAL STATION. CONTROL ROOM (Both FROYN and RHYNMAL are checking readings from their instruments.) FROYN: Time molecule absorption. Planet-side power falling. (They both activate some controls. FROYN crosses over to where RHYNMAL is sat looking over some read-outs.) RHYNMAL: Projections alpha zero, zero, zeta. Instruments register perfect dissemination. FROYN: Good. (He crosses to another wall panel.) FROYN: Cut in computer control. (RHYNMAL does so and the noise stops.) RHYNMAL: (Smiles.) Perfect. Absolutely perfect! FROYN: Just as I hoped. (The smile disappears off RHYNMAL'S face as he sees something on the console.) RHYNMAL: Hey! Someone's opened the door! FROYN: Hey? (He dashes to the panel and looks at the indicator.) FROYN: Quick! (They run out of the room.) [SCENE_BREAK] 10: INT. EARTH EXPERIMENTAL STATION. CORRIDOR (FROYN and RHYNMAL run down the corridor and enter the room.) [SCENE_BREAK] 11: INT. EARTH. EXPERIMENTAL STATION. CHAMBER (FROYN and RHYNMAL find the two puzzled but frantic security men there. There is no sign of the DOCTOR, STEVEN, SARA KINGDOM or the object with the mice inside.) FROYN: (Angrily.) Just what do you think you're doing? BORKAR: What's going on in this room? FROYN: We have been carrying out a molecular dissemination. And if you Space Security people would stop interfering we'd be able to get along a lot faster! (RHYNMAL, pleased at the result of the experiment, finishes looking over the room and runs up to his companion.) RHYNMAL: Looks as though it was perfect. BORKAR: You don't understand! FROYN: Have you touched anything in this room? BORKAR: No! But there were three people in here - where are they? [SCENE_BREAK] 12: EXT. VORTEX (The bodies of STEVEN and SARA moving about in a space-like vortex. The satellite device containing the mice spins round as the faces of STEVEN and SARA at first show no expression and are then filled by great pain as they move faster and faster away from Earth.) [SCENE_BREAK] 13: INT. EARTH. EXPERIMENTAL STATION. CHAMBER RHYNMAL: There can't have been. There were only my mice. I know - I set them here myself. BORKAR: You've got to get them back. FROYN: Get them back? But we can't. BORKAR: What do you mean, you can't? You must! FROYN: You don't seem to understand. Anyone or anything that was in this room at the time of the experiment...is now being transmitted through space. RHYNMAL: Yes, my friend. They're many light years from Earth by now. Moving towards a strange planet, in a strange galaxy - the nature of which we can only guess at... [SCENE_BREAK] 14: VORTEX (The journey concludes in a spiral of light...) [SCENE_BREAK] 15: EXT. MIRA. JUNGLE (The planet Mira is similar to Kembel with its thick jungle and wildlife. The ground is covered by a small blanket of fog and pools of some strange liquid bubble in certain areas. The landscape is lonely and filled with foliage.) [SCENE_BREAK] 16: INT. KEMBEL. DALEK CITY. CONTROL ROOM (The DALEK SUPREME enters the room to hear the reports from one of its aides that glides up to it.) DALEK SUPREME: Has any message been received from Earth? DALEK: No. DALEK SUPREME: Contact Mavic Chen and ask for a report. He should be bringing the Taranium Core by this time. DALEK: I obey. [SCENE_BREAK] 17: INT. EARTH. EXPERIMENTAL STATION. CONTROL ROOM (RHYNMAL and FROYN are activating controls under the eye of KARLTON who has now arrived at the experimental plant. FROYN is nervous of the new security man.) KARLTON: How long will it take till you know if your "experiment" is successful. FROYN: We don't know. Once the instruments re-form on the planet Mira, they should start transmitting immediately. KARLTON: Would it not have been wiser to choose a nearer planet than Mira? FROYN: The whole point was the distance. We already know that certain small objects can be sent by cellular fragmentation over some short distances. KARLTON: And will these people arrive safely? FROYN: We don't know. We've never tried to transpose people in this way before. KARLTON: Why didn't you stop when Space Security came in. FROYN: The experiment had already started. We couldn't stop. KARLTON: (Coldly.) You're a fool! (FROYN skulks away. KARLTON turns to BORKAR.) KARLTON: Why didn't you make them stop? BORKAR: There wasn't time. And we didn't know where these people were. (KARLTON turns back to FROYN.) KARLTON: Inform me as soon as you know that your mechanism has reached Mira. FROYN: Of course. (KARLTON storms out with BORKAR following. FROYN goes back into the centre of the room to find RHYNMAL working on the control panel.) FROYN: Is there no sign of anything yet? RHYNMAL: No, no...ah! (A bleeping sound is heard.) RHYNMAL: I think something's coming through. FROYN: Hey...yes! [SCENE_BREAK] 18: EXT. MIRA. JUNGLE (The Satellite rests within the jungle of Mira. It is slightly damaged with one piece of it broken but the mice are in there alive and seemingly well, but there is no sign of anyone else.) [SCENE_BREAK] 19: INT. EARTH. EXPERIMENTAL STATION. CHAMBER (KARLTON limps into the room softly.) KARLTON: The instruments reassembled successfully, and the mice were alive. (MAVIC CHEN has arrived at the station and stands in the middle of the chamber with his hands on his drawn face. Recent events are starting to take their toll on him. He takes his hands away from his face at the news that KARLTON brings but his unhappy demeanour does not change.) MAVIC CHEN: You know that might mean nothing. You realise the Daleks might just...assemble a force and conquer us! And there'd be nothing we can do. KARLTON: We still have the power. MAVIC CHEN: Where? They are expecting me now to arrive with the Taranium. KARLTON: (Silkily.) Calm down. Mira is not far from Kembel is it? MAVIC CHEN: It's nearer Kembel then Earth is. But what help is that? KARLTON: (Softly.) Tell the Daleks that you trapped the fugitives in the Cellular Projector and sent them to Mira on purpose. MAVIC CHEN: You're mad! KARLTON: Am I? It was a safety measure. Unwelcome attention was being paid to the fugitives so you sent them to Mira on purpose. (MAVIC CHEN sees the logic in this.) MAVIC CHEN: Ah, we could attribute it to a too efficient security system. It'll show conclusively that we're completely allied to the Daleks. They would trust us the more. KARLTON: Exactly. MAVIC CHEN: Wait. How do we know that the Taranium wasn't destroyed on the way? KARLTON: We don't. MAVIC CHEN: But the... KARLTON: (Interrupts.) No buts! The only reason that you as Guardian of the Solar System were admitted to the Universal Council were because of our superior knowledge of mineralogy. Without us they cannot get Taranium. (CHEN saunters to the back of the room, his confidence restored.) MAVIC CHEN: Without me their plan cannot completely work. Without me, they are but nothing! (He shouts and throws open his arms.) MAVIC CHEN: Nothing! When I am next to the Daleks, only they stand between me and the highest position in the universe. Then will be the time for me to take complete control. (He sees that KARLTON is watching him.) MAVIC CHEN: You are a fortunate man, Karlton. You will have a high place in galactic history. (He walks out with his usual arrogance. KARLTON watches him go.) KARLTON: (Quietly.) The highest...next to you. [SCENE_BREAK] 20: EXT. MIRA. JUNGLE (On Mira, the DOCTOR opens his eyes and focuses on where he is. He checks all over his body for any bruises and suchlike before standing up. He next checks his hand as if he isn't sure what has happened to him and next checks in his pocket for the Taranium Core. Luckily it is still in there and he brings it out to have a look at it. He thinks on what has just happened.) DOCTOR: The mice couldn't have done that! (He moves on.) [SCENE_BREAK] 21: EXT. MIRA. ANOTHER PART OF THE JUNGLE (Nearby, SARA KINGDOM lies unconscious on the ground. There is a low growling noise and some strands of her hair rise into the air by themselves. They lower and her right arm rises in the same way. Near to her is STEVEN. He comes round, stands up, and after seeing SARA, he crosses over to her and takes the blaster from her. He attempts to wake her up but fails.) [SCENE_BREAK] 22: EXT. MIRA. JUNGLE (The DOCTOR has found the device, still bleeping away, and is examining it.) DOCTOR: Extraordinary, most extraordinary. (He goes behind some jungle and hears some noises. He tries calling out.) DOCTOR: Steven? Steven, my boy, where are you? [SCENE_BREAK] 23: EXT. MIRA. JUNGLE (Nearby, one of the inhabitants of Mira walks through the jungle. However, the being is invisible and the only clue to its presence are footprints which resemble paw-prints more than anything else and which appear on the ground, one by one...) [SCENE_BREAK] 24: EXT. MIRA. ANOTHER PART OF THE JUNGLE (STEVEN is holding the blaster while looking at SARA'S body.) STEVEN: (Calls.) Doctor! (The DOCTOR appears from the jungle.) STEVEN: (Relieved.) Doctor! DOCTOR: All right, all right, all right. STEVEN: What's going on? Where are we? What on Earth's happened? DOCTOR: Calm down, calm down! I don't know where we are. We're safe and sound - that's the main thing. (He sees SARA on the ground.) DOCTOR: Oh, I suppose she had to come along, eh? STEVEN: Yes, but what's happened? All I know is, when she was about to shoot us, there...there was this fantastic noise! DOCTOR: Yes, I'm very glad that you took that gun away from her. (SARA groans.) DOCTOR: Is she all right? STEVEN: She hasn't come round yet. (SARA is opening her eyes as the two men crouch down over her.) DOCTOR: Pull yourself together, Madam. I want to ask you some few questions. SARA KINGDOM: (Groggily.) What? DOCTOR: (To STEVEN.) Take a good look round, dear boy. And find a place to hide. STEVEN: Right. DOCTOR: We've a lot to sort out. (SARA sits up and sees who is with her while STEVEN moves away.) SARA KINGDOM: (Spits.) You! The traitors! I must... DOCTOR: (Interrupts.) Quiet! Do as you're told! Get on your feet. (He helps SARA to her feet.) DOCTOR: You're lucky to be alive. Now you come with me, and don't try any tricks. Come along. (He takes SARA'S arm under his and leads her away.) [SCENE_BREAK] 25: INT. KEMBEL. DALEK CITY. CONTROL ROOM (The DALEK SUPREME glides up to one of its subordinates at a console. Two other DALEKS hover nearby at their consoles.) DALEK: The pursuit ship reports that they have landed on the planet Mira. DALEK SUPREME: Have they located the fugitives? DALEK: The detectors register strong readings. DALEK SUPREME: When the fugitives are captured, report at once. DALEK: I obey. (The DALEK SUPREME glides away.) [SCENE_BREAK] 26: EXT. MIRA. JUNGLE (SARA KINGDOM has now recovered and is annoyed at being disarmed. STEVEN holds his gun up to her as they stand outside a small cave. The DOCTOR stands in the entrance to the cave.) STEVEN: Feeling better? SARA KINGDOM: (Snaps.) I'll feel a lot better when we get out of this place. DOCTOR: Getting away from this place sets quite a problem. SARA KINGDOM: Where are we? DOCTOR: At the moment, I haven't the faintest idea. (He walks into the cave. Annoyed, SARA runs after him.) [SCENE_BREAK] 27: INT. MIRA. CAVE SARA KINGDOM: Oh! But how did we get here? DOCTOR: (Thinking.) Cellular...dissemination. SARA KINGDOM: Cellular what? DOCTOR: To put it...in lay language, cellular...dissemination means our bodies were broken up by some process or other, shot through into the fourth dimension and at a given point reassembled again on this planet. STEVEN: That's fantastic. SARA KINGDOM: (Sneering.) Impossible. DOCTOR: Fantastic it may be, my boy, but impossible - no, because precisely that is what has happened. STEVEN: Yes, but Doctor what about that, er, transmitter thing? You know the one with the mice in it. DOCTOR: Yes, that followed along too and I believe it's sending messages back to Earth. Now that would mean that Mavic Chen will know precisely where we are. Therefore, the Daleks will attack once again. [SCENE_BREAK] 28: EXT. MIRA. ANOTHER PART OF THE JUNGLE (Two of the DALEKS from the pursuit ship have found the device. One of the DALEKS has a perceptor device in place of its usual arm attachment and is scanning the jungle.) FIRST DALEK: Detector indicates being at close range. (The SECOND DALEK looks over the device.) SECOND DALEK: An alien device. There are small white creatures inside. They may be hostile. FIRST DALEK: It is sending out signals. SECOND DALEK: It may belong to the fugitives and register our presence here. FIRST DALEK: Destroy it. (They move away and then blast it. The mice die and the machine stops bleeping.) FIRST DALEK: Detector still registers being is very close. (They turn and have a look around.) SECOND DALEK: I can see nothing. FIRST DALEK: There is a being near us. Fire at any movement. (The leaves near the DALEKS start to move, and obeying orders, the DALEKS' fire. There is a roar and the leaves stop moving.) SECOND DALEK: The beings appear to be invisible. We must continue the search for the fugitives. Keep constant detector readings. Open fire when it registers close proximity. FIRST DALEK: I obey. (They move on.) [SCENE_BREAK] 29: EARTH. EXPERIMENTAL STATION. CONTROL ROOM (With the destruction of the device, FROYN is not getting any more signals from Mira and is being watched by an impatient KARLTON.) FROYN: I can't understand it. We were getting such powerful signals, now we're getting absolutely nothing. KARLTON: A technical fault? FROYN: Well it couldn't be, just like that. RHYNMAL: Those criminals must have damaged it. FROYN: Why didn't they do it when they first arrived? KARLTON: Perhaps they have only just found it. You are certain that there are no natural beings on Mira? FROYN: Not to our knowledge. Our probes have never shown any. RHYNMAL: That's why we sent the mice. I was hoping that they might perhaps... (Sadly.) Oh dear, perhaps we should send some more mice? KARLTON: No. Send nothing further to Mira. Inform me as soon as you regain any form of contact. In the meantime send no further matter to that planet. [SCENE_BREAK] 30: EXT. MIRA. JUNGLE (The DOCTOR, alone, moves through the jungle when he hears a noise. He moves slowly forward, when suddenly the leaves near him start to move. The DOCTOR attacks whatever is there with a stick he has found. With a roar the creature backs off.) DOCTOR: I might have known it - Visians! The planet Mira! [SCENE_BREAK] 31: EXT. MIRA. CAVE (STEVEN and SARA are arguing...) STEVEN: But he was the one person who could have warned Earth! SARA KINGDOM: So you say. STEVEN: You killed Bret! You just shot him down! SARA KINGDOM: He was a traitor. (She speaks as if quoting from a procedure.) SARA KINGDOM: Between the three of you, you had stolen the Taranium, the most valuable mineral in the universe. It was needed desperately to spread the peace which was advanced in the solar system, to reach the whole galaxy. STEVEN: What was the Taranium going to do? SARA KINGDOM: How should I know? I had my orders. STEVEN: (Disgusted.) Oh, your orders! And even though it meant killing one of your own people, you obeyed them blindly, without question! SARA KINGDOM: One does not question the orders of the Guardian. STEVEN: Oh, you didn't even stop to think how it came to happen. That a space security agent, one of your own people, was a traitor? SARA KINGDOM: No! STEVEN: You didn't give Bret a chance, did you? You couldn't question Chen and you wouldn't question Bret. SARA KINGDOM: Look, what do you want me to say? That I believe your fantastic story? STEVEN: It's true. SARA KINGDOM: (Tearfully.) It mustn't be. (The DOCTOR appears behind them.) DOCTOR: I'm afraid it is, my dear. STEVEN: (Sarcastically.) But Bret had to be killed. SARA KINGDOM: (Snaps.) Shut up! Bret Vyon was my brother. (Upset, she runs out of the cave. STEVEN starts to follow her but the DOCTOR stops him.) DOCTOR: Leave her, my boy. There's nothing we can do. She finally believes us. (With a cry, SARA runs back.) SARA KINGDOM: Something...touched me! (STEVEN takes the blaster and starts to move forward.) STEVEN: It's all right. DOCTOR: Steven! (STEVEN comes back.) DOCTOR: Listen to me, both of you. This is the planet Mira. And the only beings on here are the Visians. We can't see them but they're very vicious. We must try to get away from here as soon as possible. SARA KINGDOM: But how? DOCTOR: I don't know yet. (STEVEN goes outside the cave.) [SCENE_BREAK] 32: EXT. MIRA. JUNGLE (He stands just outside the entrance. The others join him and they see a large bunch of leaves moving and smoke rising from the ground.) STEVEN: Is that them? DOCTOR: Yes, and it appears we're trapped! [SCENE_BREAK] 33: INT. EARTH. GUARDIANS' OFFICE (KARLTON is back with MAVIC CHEN at his office. The Guardian has been writing a document and holds an ornate pen in his hand.) KARLTON: I am certain that the Daleks have already reached Mira. MAVIC CHEN: That means I must return to Kembel at once. KARLTON: Of course. Everything is arranged. MAVIC CHEN: Good. (He drops the pen that he was using.) MAVIC CHEN: It looks as though the Daleks have believed my story. I must be there before the Taranium's bought back. KARLTON: If it is? MAVIC CHEN: Wait till you hear from me, then take your party to Venus. Whatever happens we shall outwit the Daleks! We should be able to destroy Kembel, with help from the rest of the solar system. KARLTON: But that will only mean mastery of this galaxy. (MAVIC CHEN raises his eyes heavenwards.) MAVIC CHEN: But a start, Karlton, a start. [SCENE_BREAK] 34: INT. MIRA. CAVE (The travellers have retreated inside the cave. STEVEN still holds the blaster. The DOCTOR has his stick and SARA holds a large rock.) DOCTOR: I don't think they've quite fathomed us out. STEVEN: Well, when we beat our way through, we've got to stick together. DOCTOR: And you remember my boy, aim high. These Visians are eight feet tall. [SCENE_BREAK] 35: EXT. MIRA. JUNGLE (The Visians start to move forward but blasts from a DALEK kills them.) [SCENE_BREAK] 36: INT. MIRA. CAVE STEVEN: Daleks! SARA KINGDOM: You're right Doctor, they've come. [SCENE_BREAK] 37: INT. MIRA. JUNGLE (The DALEK glides forward and covers the travellers who are now outside the cave.) DALEK: You are surrounded. You will come with us. DOCTOR: I'm afraid, my friends, the Daleks have won.
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