[The main hall]

(Gryffen is at the Space-Time Manipulator’s controls.)

[The chess room]

(Starkey is sat opposite K9.)

STARKEY: Sorry it’s come to this, K9, but you’re a dangerous enemy and I have to destroy you.
K9: Destroy this, human. (A chess piece on the board between them moves.) Checkmate.
STARKEY: You cheated.
K9: Cheating is a tactic employed to alter the odds when one is in danger of defeat.
STARKEY: Your point is?
K9: I was never in danger of defeat.

(Darius, sat by the fireplace, laughs.)

STARKEY: Hey. You want to play?
DARIUS: What? So you can wipe the floor with me? I don’t think so. Not likely. I’ve got some pride.

(Starkey gets up and walks over to Jorjie, who is surrounded by papers. She is wearing a ‘60s inspired outfit.)

STARKEY: Hey, what’s with the former rainforest?
JORJIE: They’re old police files and newspapers Gryffen found in the basement from when the mansion was a police station.
STARKEY: Fascinating. Why are you wearing a rainbow?
JORJIE: Don’t judge my threads, man! I’ve got a history assignment due on Friday. “The Impact of Music Culture on Criminal Activity in 1960s England.”
STARKEY: Groovy, baby. Love the ‘60s.
JORJIE: It’s neato, peachy pie. But this used to be a fuzz station and all my research is right here.
K9: The relevance of neatness, peachiness or pies to fuzz is unclear to this unit.
JORJIE: It’s ‘60s slang. It’s fun.
K9: Neato!
DARIUS: What’s with all these storms? Another one.
JORJIE: Whoa, this is interesting. In 1963, there was a Russian spy ring working out of this district. This station was the centre of the investigation.
DARIUS: I thought the Russians were our friends.
K9: Your knowledge of history is sadly lacking.
DARIUS: Like your personality.
K9: In the 1960s, the government considered the Russians a very serious threat to this country. There was great alarm about Russian spies.

(Jorjie gets a pair of virtual reality goggles from the mantelpiece.)

JORJIE: What does Cyberpedia have to say? (She puts them on.) 1963 was a time of considerable fear of war. Nuclear…

[The main hall]

(Gryffen activates the Space-Time Manipulator.)

GRYFFEN: It’s working. It’s working!

(The Space-Time Manipulator creates a vortex. An orb of light flies from it and into the chess room.)

[The chess room]

(The orb of light flies in and hits Jorjie. She disappears, dropping the goggles. Starkey and Darius look at each other in surprise.)

[Street]

(Two CCPCs walk past the mansion.)

[The chess room]

GRYFFEN: And she just disappeared?
DARIUS: Yeah, into thin air.
GRYFFEN: I was working on the quantum equaliser. It was going so well, and then that power surge and…
STARKEY: So, where is she?
K9: The quantum equaliser maintains the balance between space and time. Its disruption could open a timestream.
STARKEY: She’s in a different time?
GRYFFEN: Yes. Yes, same place but, yes.
STARKEY: When?
K9: If the equaliser wasn’t stable, it could be any time.
DARIUS: Uh, guys? I don’t think so.

(Darius shows them one of the newspapers. Jorjie is in the background of a photograph on the front page, standing behind a man who had been arrested.)

STARKEY: 1963?

[The main hall, 1963]

(Jorjie looks around the police station. A photographer is taking photographs of a man in the custody of two policemen.)

PHOTOGRAPHER: One more, thanks, guv. That’s it. Hold it. (He takes another photograph.) Lovely.
CONSTABLE: That’s enough, snapper. On your bike. Take him to the cells, lads. (The two policemen take the suspect away. The constable approaches Jorjie.) Can I help you?

(Jorjie pokes the constable in the arm.)

JORJIE: You’re real. What year is it?
CONSTABLE: 1963.
JORJIE: I have to call the professor.

(Jorjie starts using her vidcom.)

CONSTABLE: What sort of gizmo would that be, then?
JORJIE: It’s a communications device.

(The constable takes the vidcom.)

CONSTABLE: Like no communications device I ever saw. We’ve been having problems with communications of a Russian nature around here. What’s your name, girl?

(William Pike, identical to Darius, swoops in.)

BILL: Laura, where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you.
JORJIE: Darius?
BILL: Ha. William Pike. My friends call me Bill. This here is my sister, Laura. She was riding in a cab with me this morning, dropped off my fare, turned around and she was gone. She suffers from mental confusion. Even our mum calls her an empty teabag in our family pot, know what I mean? So, I’ll just be taking her home then, yeah?

(Bill goes to leave with Jorjie, but the constable grabs them both.)

CONSTABLE: Hey. Why don’t you two come along with me?

[The main hall, 21st century]

K9: The lightning surge destabilised the equaliser. Jorjie’s VR set then acted as a channel for the power.
GRYFFEN: Sucking her into the portal. Darius, try again.

(Darius tries his vidcom.)

DARIUS: Jorjie? Jorjie? Can you hear me?
GRYFFEN: The timestream is still open. We should be able to communicate.
STARKEY: I’m going after her.
GRYFFEN: I don’t know how long the portal will remain open. You need to find her immediately and you both need your vidcoms so I can lock onto you and transport you.
K9: Transport us?
DARIUS: Make that three.
GRYFFEN: No, no, I need someone here to help me operate the portal.
DARIUS: Prof…
GRYFFEN: Darius, I can’t do it alone. If you want to help Jorjie, you need to be here.
STARKEY: So, let’s do it, professor.
GRYFFEN: Starkey… If the portal closes completely, I won’t be able to reopen it. You won’t be able to get back. You’ll be stuck in 1963.
K9: So, let’s do it, professor.
GRYFFEN: To the portal.

[Cells, 1963]

(Jorjie and Bill are in the same cell.)

JORJIE: How dare you call me an empty teabag. And what’s all this Bill stuff?
BILL: I keep telling you, it’s my name. William Pike. What’s all that Darius stuff?
JORJIE: You’re really not him?
BILL: Hey, now you’re getting the idea. (Jorjie is exasperated.) Hey, don’t get your knickers in a knot. You’re a kid. They’ll call your parents and they’ll sort it out. It’s no big deal. Is it?
JORJIE: You have no idea.

[Outside the police station, 1963]

(The constable exits the police station and walks out into the street. A black cab is parked there. Pedestrians walk past.)

CONSTABLE: Morning. (He opens the cab door and removes a briefcase from the seat. He turns and is surprised to see Starkey and K9 there.) Blimey!
K9: Neato to meet you, peach fuzz!
STARKEY: He’s new here. I’ll contact Jorjie.

(Starkey calls Jorjie. The constable takes Jorjie’s vidcom from his pocket and sees Starkey on the screen.)

CONSTABLE: What? Right, I’m going to have to ask you to accompany me inside.
K9: Exit strategy?
STARKEY: Exit strategy. (He grabs the vidcom.) Thank you.

(Starkey and K9 run away.)

CONSTABLE: Oi! (Starkey runs into a man, Miles, and one of the vidcoms goes up in the air. Miles catches it. Starkey keeps running.) Stop! Police! (He notices Miles holding the vidcom.) Another one! Right, you’ve got some explaining to do, mate.

(The constable grabs Miles and escorts him to the station.)

MILES: You can’t just accost me! This is not Communist Russia!
CONSTABLE: Yeah, and we’re going to keep it that way.

[Cells, 1963]

(Jorjie is pacing.)

BILL: Hey, why don’t you just take a load off?
JORJIE: Aren’t you worried?
BILL: Me? No. All I’m guilty of is a few old parking tickets.

(The constable opens the door and pushes Miles in.)

MILES: Ouch! Steady on my jacket!
CONSTABLE: You, come with me.
BILL: See? Nothing to worry about. Look, just tell him who you really are and where to reach your folks and you’ll be out of here too. I’ll be waiting.

(The constable grabs Bill and pulls him out.)

CONSTABLE: You can wipe that smile off your face, traitor! You’re on your way to the interrogation room and then to jail for a very long time.

(The constable takes Bill away. Miles holds out a hand to Jorjie.)

MILES: Miles Barrington Smythe.

(Jorjie shakes his hand.)

[The main hall, 21st century]

(Darius is looking through files.)

DARIUS: There’s nothing in here, prof.
GRYFFEN: Keep searching. That photo of Jorjie is deeply disturbing.
DARIUS: Give her a break. She had just travelled through time.
GRYFFEN: No, I mean the fact that it exists. It shows how, from the moment they arrive, they are impacting the world around them.
DARIUS: It’s just a photo.
GRYFFEN: To begin with, yes. But the longer they’re there, the greater the chance that they will affect something really significant.
DARIUS: Like what?
GRYFFEN: Like anything. The present as we know it is a result of what happened in the past. If the past has been changed then so too has the present.
DARIUS: Ah.
GRYFFEN: What?
DARIUS: That’s my great-grandpa.

(Darius shows Gryffen a newspaper clipping entitled “Spy Cab Driver Convicted of Treason”, followed by Bill’s mugshots.)

[Room which will become the laboratory, 1963]

(The constable is looking at the vidcom.)

CONSTABLE: Well, I’ll be.

(Barker, identical to Thorne, enters.)

BARKER: Will you indeed, constable?
CONSTABLE: The suspect is in the interrogation room as requested, sir.
BARKER: Well?
CONSTABLE: Ah.

(The constable hands the briefcase over. Barker takes it and leaves. The constable follows.)

[Interrogation room, 1963]

(Bill is sat at a table. Barker and the constable enter.)

CONSTABLE: This is Agent Barker from MI6.
BILL: Afternoon, squire.
BARKER: Afternoon to you too. It’s not every day we capture the spy responsible for leaking our nation’s secrets.

(Barker puts the briefcase on the table.)

BILL: Whatever you’re talking about, sir, I can explain everything.
BARKER: Yes, you will.

(Barker looks at the constable. The constable leaves.)

[The main hall, 1963]

GRYFFEN: Your great-grandfather? Are you sure?
DARIUS: It’s him, but he was never a spy. What’s it mean?
GRYFFEN: It means the past has been changed. And if he did indeed end up in prison, he may never have met your great-grandmother who would never have given birth to your grandfather who would never have met your grandmother who would never have given birth to your father.
DARIUS: Who would have been hard-pressed to have had me. I shouldn’t exist.
GRYFFEN: But you do, which is the greatest possible evidence that everything worked out fine. There’s no need to panic.

(Darius starts fading away.)

DARIUS: Professor! Help me.
GRYFFEN: Darius! (Darius disappears.) Things couldn’t possibly be any worse.

(June appears on a screen.)

JUNE: Gryffen, I need to see Jorjie.

[Outside the police station, 1963]

(Starkey and K9 sneak around outside the entrance.)

STARKEY: Can you get a fix on Jorjie?
K9: Two thermal images received. Confirm one to be Jorjie’s heat signature in the cell approximately 14.2 metres away.
STARKEY: Okay. Let’s grab her and get our butts back through that portal.
K9: Agreed. Rapid transport of butts imperative.

(Starkey gets out his vidcom.)

STARKEY: Professor, we’re nearly ready.

[The main hall, 21st century]

(June is inside.)

JUNE: I can’t believe you let this happen, Gryffen.
GRYFFEN: It was a coincidental anomaly. We’ll get them back.
JUNE: You’re sure?
GRYFFEN: Reasonably sure.

[Outside the police station, 1963]

STARKEY: Professor, are you there?

[The main hall, 21st century]

GRYFFEN: Yes, I am. (Starkey and K9 appear on a screen.) Do you have visual?

[Outside the police station, 1963]

STARKEY: Yes. We’ve found Jorjie and we’ll be ready to transport in about ten minutes.

[The main hall, 21st century]

GRYFFEN: That’s brilliant. However, there’s one small complication. If you don’t save Darius’s grandfather, Darius will disappear forever. He won’t exist.

[Outside the police station, 1963]

(Starkey sees Bill’s mugshots followed by a video of Darius fading away.)

STARKEY: His great-grandfather?

[The main hall, 21st century]

GRYFFEN: Yes. It really is the most fascinating temporal conundrum.

[Outside the police station, 1963]

K9: I agree, professor. A most interesting example of Einstein’s principle…

[The main hall, 21st century]

JUNE: If I could interrupt.
GRYFFEN: Oh, yes, of course. Um, so, you must help this fellow, Bill, escape and then get yourselves back here so that you don’t do any more damage to the timeline.

[Outside the police station, 1963]

STARKEY: That’s it, professor. Just bust two people out of jail and travel back through time. Anything else?
GRYFFEN: (On vidcom) Nothing else?
JUNE: (On vidcom) No.

[The main hall, 21st century]

GRYFFEN: No, that’s it. Oh, and, Starkey. Darius’s existence depends on this.
STARKEY: Got it, professor.
K9: Freaky, man.
STARKEY: Could say that.

[Room which will become the laboratory, 1963]

(K9 and Starkey find the confiscated vidcom. Starkey grabs it.)

STARKEY: Got it.

[Cells, 1963]

(Jorjie is sat down. Miles is pacing. He sees Starkey and K9 approaching.)

MILES: Well, I’ll be. It really is a mechanical dog.

(Jorjie gets up.)

JORJIE: You came for me! Thank you.
STARKEY: Darius would have too, but the professor needed him.
JORJIE: Right.
K9: And speaking of Darius…
STARKEY: You haven’t seen a bloke named Bill around at all?
JORJIE: They took him to an interrogation room.
STARKEY: Right. Next stop, interrogation room. We’ll explain on the way.
K9: We’ll rap so that you can get your head around it.
STARKEY: He’s enjoying the ‘60s.
K9: Please stand clear.

(Jorie and Miles step back. K9 fires his cannon at the lock and Starkey opens the door.)

MILES: I say. Thanks awfully.
STARKEY: You’re welcome.
MILES: If I can be of any assistance, I happen to know where the interrogation room is.
K9: Excellent.
MILES: What a jolly clever mechanical dog.

(Miles pats K9.)

K9: This unit does not appreciate patting. This unit is not a dog. This unit is a cybernetic construction containing quantum consciousness and capable of logical deduction.

[The main hall, 21st century]

GRYFFEN: We need to give the portal all the power we can.
JUNE: How?
GRYFFEN: The same way it powered up before. Lightning. (He holds up an antenna.) The electrical surge will run directly to the STM. All we need is someone to hold the antenna out the window.
JUNE: Someone?
GRYFFEN: It’s perfectly safe. The antenna dish will protect you. Plus, I have these. (He holds up a pair of rubber gloves.) You know how my agoraphobia is. Just the idea of sticking my head out that window… Think of the children.

[Room which will become the laboratory, 1963]

(The constable is using a typewriter. He does not notice the silhouettes sneaking past the room nor Starkey looking inside.)

[The main hall, 1963]

MILES: Now, the room’s under the stairs.
STARKEY: We need a distraction. K9?

(K9’s systems search for diversions. He selects and plays a brief clip of a woman screaming and a car crashing.)

MILES: Allow me.

(Miles enters the room.)

[Room which will become the laboratory, 1963]

MILES: I say, there’s been a jolly awful crash.
CONSTABLE: Wait a minute! I know you!
MILES: Oh, dear.

(Miles hurries away. The constable follows.)

[The main hall, 1963]

STARKEY: Let’s go.

(Starkey, Jorjie and K9 run.)

[Interrogation room, 1963]

BARKER: Let me ask again. How did Russian documents come to be in your cab?
BILL: I don’t know. I keep telling you. I’m not a spy.
BARKER: Yet there they were. What were you planning to do with them?
BILL: Do with them? They’re Russian. Do I look like a Russian? I want my lawyer. I have my rights. I want my lawyer.
BARKER: No, you don’t have any rights. Spies have no rights and you are a spy. No one’s going to ride to your rescue.

(Starkey, Jorjie and K9 burst in.)

JORJIE: We’re here to rescue you.
BILL: What the…?
BARKER: I don’t know who you think you are, but I’ll personally see to it you join your friend here in prison for a very long time.
JORJIE: Does he remind you of anyone?

(K9 fires his cannon near Barker.)

K9: Chill, baby.
BARKER: Very well, but you’re in the middle of a police station in the middle of the city. You imagine you can all just disappear?
STARKEY: That’s the plan.

[The main hall, 21st century]

(Darius starts to reappear.)

GRYFFEN: Darius!
DARIUS: Prof, what’s happening to me?
GRYFFEN: Everything’s under control, my boy. He’s coming back to us. The others must be succeeding. Action stations!

[Interrogation room, 1963]

(Starkey hands Jorjie her vidcom.)

STARKEY: You’ll need this for the professor to lock onto. Professor, we’re ready to go. Professor? Professor?
BARKER: A problem?
STARKEY: No way. We’ll be busting out of here in a minute… Or two. Professor?

[The main hall, 21st century]

(June is holding the antenna out of the window.)

GRYFFEN: How is it out there, June?
JUNE: How do you think it is? It’s an electrical storm!
GRYFFEN: Marvellous! The others should be contacting us any moment. All is well. All is…

(Darius is fading again.)

DARIUS: Prof, I…
GRYFFEN: Not well!

[Interrogation room, 1963]

STARKEY: Professor?

(Miles runs in.)

MILES: Well, I gave the old blighter the slip. Gave a good chase, though. What’s the plan?

[The main hall, 21st century]

GRYFFEN: Starkey? Starkey!? June, we need that power surge now!
JUNE: Are you sure this is going to work?
GRYFFEN: The statistical likelihood of lightning striking the same… (Lightning hits the antenna. Electricity runs along the cable to the Space-Time Manipulator. It activates.) Starkey? Starkey, are you there?

[Interrogation room, 1963]

STARKEY: We’re here.

[The main hall, 21st century]

GRYFFEN: The portal’s powered up.

[Interrogation room, 1963]

STARKEY: Just a second, professor. Okay, mate, that’s your cue. You’re out of here.
BILL: You want me to do a runner? Where am I going to go?
JORJIE: Anywhere.
BILL: Well, I’m not spending the rest of my life running and hiding. What about my family? What about their reputation? No, I’m staying to prove my innocence.
BARKER: Except, of course, he’s guilty. And he will be going to prison.

[The main hall, 21st century]

(Darius disappears.)

GRYFFEN: Starkey, what’s happened? We’ve lost Darius again.

[Interrogation room, 1963]

STARKEY: Small glitch.

[The main hall, 21st century]

GRYFFEN: The portal’s very unstable. You’ve only got a minute or two.

[Interrogation room, 1963]

STARKEY: Understood, professor.
JORJIE: You’re innocent. You know you are.
BILL: Yeah, but I’ve got to prove my innocence.
BARKER: And no less, the evidence would tend to prove otherwise.
JORJIE: That evidence doesn’t prove anything. It can’t. He’s not a spy.
BARKER: Well, I’m afraid he’s guilty until proven innocent.
K9: Logical option for resolving problem: prove innocence.
BARKER: Really? And how will you do that?

(K9 scans the Russian documents on the table.)

K9: Language is Russian. There is also a coded message. Code based on basic mathematical equation.
BARKER: Basic? Russian spy codes are hardly basic.
K9: It’s the details of a spy network located in this area.
JORJIE: Just like in the newspaper story.
BARKER: Exactly. A spy network. Proof positive that Mr Pike is guilty. I’ve wasted enough time.

(Barker moves. K9 fires another warning shot.)

K9: Manners. This unit is still reading. This message is to a spy, instructing him to use his government employee card to access information. William Pike is not a government employee.
JORJIE: Then it couldn’t be his.
BILL: I’m innocent. I told you.
BARKER: Very well.
K9: This document should reveal the name of the real spy. It should only take me to… (He gets an alert.) Imminent detonation! Get down!

(Everyone ducks.)

STARKEY: Why?

(The briefcase explodes.)

K9: That’s why.
BARKER: Rigged to self-destruct. Typical Russian trick.
STARKEY: Hard to believe it could get the jump on you.
GRYFFEN: (Over vidcom) Starkey? Starkey? You’ve got less than one minute.
STARKEY: Okay, professor, we’re all set.
BILL: What can I say? You guys have saved my life. Next cab ride’s on me, free of charge. Seriously.
STARKEY: You can owe us.
JORJIE: We’ll say hi to your great-grandson for you.
K9: It’s been groovy, baby.

(Starkey, Jorjie and K9 disappear.)

[The main hall, 21st century]

JUNE: How much longer have they got?
GRYFFEN: Seconds

(Darius reappears.)

DARIUS: Professor!
GRYFFEN: Darius! Welcome back, dear boy!
DARIUS: From where?
GRYFFEN: No time to explain.
JUNE: We’re losing power!
GRYFFEN: We haven’t got any more to give it.

(The vortex starts to fade. Starkey, Jorjie and K9 fall out of it before it does. Gryffen kisses June’s cheek in celebration. Starkey and Jorjie high five. Later, they all look at a screen.)

K9: Preliminary scan of world situation suggests no significant changes.
JORJIE: That’s a shame.
GRYFFEN: Tempting as it may be to change the world by changing the past, it creates far too many problems.
STARKEY: Looks like we’re stuck with changing it from here.

[Outside the police station, 1963]

(Barker leaves the premises and stands under a streetlight. Miles emerges from the shadows. He has a Russian accent.)

MILES: That was very close, comrade.
BARKER: You took your sweet time setting off that self-destruct. The mechanical dog almost announced my name.
MILES: I was interested to see its capabilities.
BARKER: Perhaps next time I pass material onto you, you’ll take better care of it.
MILES: I needed to hide it quickly and the cab was most convenient.
BARKER: Fortunately, I made a copy.
MILES: Your efforts, as always, are appreciated. One day soon, may Britain have the same kind of society we enjoy in our community.

(Miles disappears into the shadows. Barker walks down the street.)

Transcript originally provided by Chrissie. Adapted by TARDIS.guide. The transcripts are for educational and entertainment purposes only. All other copyrights property of their respective holders.