Vengeance on Varos

Part One

[Arak and Etta's rooms]

(Domes of various sizes are scattered about the bleak landscape. Inside one, a bare-chested young man is manacled to the wall. Everyone say Hi! to Jason Connery, just before Robin of Sherwood made him really famous. A CCTV camera turns to face him, then another larger device does the same. He twists his body out of the way of a beam, but the second gets him right in the midriff. His torture is watched on a wall screen by a woman. A man enters.)

ARAK: Not him again.
ETTA: Yeah.
ARAK: ComDiv must be running short of people to laserise.
ETTA: Yeah.

(The young man on the screen dodges another beam.)

ARAK: Rubbish. He's not hurt, he's only acting.
ETTA: Never.

(Another beam hits the young man. The man goes to a cabinet and removes a food tray.)

ARAK: Is this all?
ETTA: It's what they sent.
ARAK: How can I work, dig on this? It's not enough to fill a clinker-mole's belly, let alone a working man's.
ETTA: There's shortages, maybe more to come.

(They sit at the small table.)

ETTA: Governor's punch-in vote tonight.
ARAK: Voting, voting. This Governor calls a punch-in every time he wants to change his trousers. The sooner he gets ruled out, the better.
ETTA: What would the next one do different?
ARAK: Everything. Anything. What is this I'm eating, Etta?
ETTA: How should I know? I just get it out the dispenser. It didn't have a label on it.

(He pushes the tray away so Etta pulls it towards herself. He grabs it back.)

ARAK: Get off. I want to chuck it at the screen when your beloved Sir Governor begs my vote.
ETTA: Attacking ComTec property can bring loss of viewing rights. Way you're thinking, you'll be in that one's place. (laughs) I'd like to see how far you get in the Dome of Punishment. You'd not even survive the first distort section.
ARAK: Marriage to you prepares me to survive anything. Why have they stopped? Oh, it's pathetic. When did they last show something worth watching, eh? When did we last see a decent execution.
ETTA: Last week.
ARAK: What?
ETTA: The blind man.
ARAK: That was a repeat.
ETTA: It wasn't. You're thinking of that infiltrator. He wasn't blind. Not at the beginning, anyway.
ARAK: Yes, he was. I'm going to sleep, anyway.
ETTA: Can't. You've got to vote.
ARAK: Do it for me.
ETTA: Do you want PolCorps calling here? Do you, Arak?
ARAK: How would they know it wasn't me voting?
ETTA: I'd tell 'em.

[TARDIS]

(The Doctor is working underneath the console.)

DOCTOR: That's it.
PERI: I don't believe it.
DOCTOR: I haven't told you what I've done, yet.
PERI: You sound confident. I don't want to know.
DOCTOR: What is the matter with you?
PERI: Every time you sound confident nowadays, something terrible seems to happen.
DOCTOR: Does it? What do you mean?
PERI: Well, since we left Telos, you've caused three electrical fires, a total power failure, and a near collision with a storm of asteroids. Not only that, you've twice managed to get yourself lost in the TARDIS corridors, wiped the memory of the flight computer and jettisoned three quarters of the storage hold. You even managed to burn dinner last night.
DOCTOR: I have never said I was perfect.
PERI: If you recall, last night I was supposed to have a cold supper.
DOCTOR: That was an unfortunate accident.
PERI: Before each and every unfortunate accident, you've said in a loud, confident voice, that's it. And to be honest, Doc, I am getting tired of clearing up the mess and being thrown around the TARDIS like the teddy bear of some psychotic baby.
DOCTOR: Have you finished, Perpugilliam?
PERI: For the moment.
DOCTOR: It's a good thing I like you.
PERI: Right now, the feeling isn't mutual.
DOCTOR: What more do you want? I've cleared up as you requested. I've stabilised the chameleon circuit.
PERI: So now what will we materialise as?
DOCTOR: A police box. I think.
PERI: Well, better than a pyramid or Nelson's column.
DOCTOR: We have never materialised as Nelson's column!
PERI: We did as a pyramid. On the frozen plains of Ewa Nine, remember?
DOCTOR: It's a good thing I'm a tolerant man, because sometimes you push me too far.
PERI: You're the most inconsistent and intolerant man I've ever met.
DOCTOR: Intolerant?

(The Doctor leaves the console room.)

[Outside the console room]

DOCTOR: Intolerant?

[TARDIS]

DOCTOR: Intolerant? Me?
PERI: Then why are you shouting?
DOCTOR: Because

(The TARDIS begins to shake.)

DOCTOR: There's something wrong.
PERI: What?
DOCTOR: Shush. There's something amiss in the power transmission system.
PERI: Still? After all the work you've done?
DOCTOR: It's the one area I didn't check.
PERI: Oh, great. Aren't there emergency power circuits or something?
DOCTOR: It seems that function is about to become defunct too.
PERI: Terrific.
DOCTOR: The problem is, Peri, we are faced with a conundrum wrapped up in a dilemma.
PERI: What exactly does that mean?
DOCTOR: We could very well be stuck in a limbo of space and time.
PERI: For how long?
DOCTOR: Eternity.

[Governor's office]

(A small being with scales, a frill on its head and no legs sits on its life support cabinet.)

SIL: You're a reasonable man. Lower the price of your commodity a little, please.
GOVERNOR: My people deserve fair prices for the Zeiton-7 ore.

(Everyone say Hi! to smooth-talking Martin Jarvis.)

SIL: Who else will buy from you if my corporation withdraws its contract?
GOVERNOR: We shall have to find other outlets, I should think.
SIL: You are not a rich planet. Zeiton is all you have to sell.
GOVERNOR: There are other exports. We're expanding into entertainments and communications with some success.
SIL: How?
GOVERNOR: The Punishment Dome. We sell tapes of what happens there.
SIL: Ah, that is enterprising. Your idea, Governor?
GOVERNOR: Yes.

(Sil starts to quiver with excitement.)

SIL: Are they very disturbing, these videos you sell?
GOVERNOR: They show what befalls those who refuse to obey the orders by which the people of Varos must live.
SIL: Torture? Blindness? Executions?
GOVERNOR: All the functions of the Punishment Dome are recorded as warnings to miscreants everywhere.
SIL: But they entertain as well as instruct?
GOVERNOR: You must ask my Chief Officer. He is responsible for ComTec Division product.
SIL: I will hope to help organise your sales exports, if you consent to lower your Zeiton price.
GOVERNOR: I can't. I'm sorry.
SIL: Then my patience is exhausted and spent totally.

(The Chief Officer enters.)

CHIEF: The people are anxious for a decision on the new price of our product.
GOVERNOR: Negotiations between ourselves and Galtron Mining are far from complete. The broadcast must be delayed.
CHIEF: Impossible. The rules must be obeyed by Governors as well as prisoners.
GOVERNOR: What is the difference?
CHIEF: What point have you reached, gentlemen?
SIL: Stalemate, on contract, royalties, everything.
CHIEF: But surely, a little movement regarding cost?
SIL: Already I have gone beyond my authority to meet the stubbornness of this Governor.
GOVERNOR: We must have an increase of price. We must.
SIL: I will wait. Perhaps the next Governor will be more sensible of reality.
GOVERNOR: I am the Governor. You deal with me.
SIL: But tonight you must place yourself at the mercy of the votes of your people. Should they not agree with your stubborn stance, you may be obliterated.

(Sil finds this prospect most appealing. His slaves wheel him away.)

CHIEF: He is right, sir.
GOVERNOR: I am not afraid to die. My family have served and perished at the will of the people. Now, if it is my turn, so be it.

(The Chief Officer leaves.)

[TARDIS]

(The time rotor stops.)

DOCTOR: That's interesting, not to say arresting.
PERI: Where are we?
DOCTOR: Neither here nor there.
PERI: Doctor.
DOCTOR: Somewhere. Let's see.

(The scanner shows stars and distant galaxies.)

DOCTOR: Stalled, in the equivalent of a galactic lay-by. See?
PERI: No.
DOCTOR: Midway between Cetes and Sculptor. Materialised into actual and temporal void.
PERI: Yes, but why won't it move?
DOCTOR: This is the one problem the TARDIS cannot overcome. Like all things in the universe, she cannot move without power and energy.
PERI: Yes, Doctor, but we can. Don't give up, please.
DOCTOR: It's all right for you, Peri.
PERI: Me? Why is it okay for me?
DOCTOR: You've only got one life. You'll age here in the TARDIS and then die. Me, I shall go on regenerating until all my lives are spent.

[Control area]

SIL: Like this Governor we do not. Replace you must arrange most soon. That is what our secret payments to you are for.
CHIEF: My dear Sil, a little patience is all that is required. Trust me.
SIL: Do you think he suspects the truth of matters?
CHIEF: No, he simply wants a better deal.
SIL: Maybe I should dispense with your payoffs. Perhaps I should offer that and you to him.
CHIEF: You simply really mustn't threaten me. You need me for what you hope to gain here.
SIL: If I do not succeed one way, I favour another. Enough talk. I would wish to witness the suffering moments of this fool Governorship.

[Governor's office]

CHIEF: I'm sorry. Sil refuses to increase his offer.
GOVERNOR: In a few moments, I have to appear before ViewPol. Propose further austerities, food dole, work feed cuts. They won't accept it. The vote against me will be overwhelming. We know what that will do.
CHIEF: The Constitution requires that Governors who fail to please the majority must suffer. It is the price of failure.
GOVERNOR: Even until death. I wish I had something to offer the people of Varos. Something to give them hope.
CHIEF: Bend the truth a little. Imply you intend to squeeze a few million extra credits at the Galatron negotiations, and if you don't, well, fools have short memories.

(Dax and a guard enter.)

BAX: You must make ready for the broadcast, sir.
GOVERNOR: Yes, yes, yes.

(The camera is brought forward. Dax adjusts the microphone on the desk as the Governor puts on his gloves and composes himself. The On Air light comes on on the camera.)

GOVERNOR: Good evening.

[Control area]

(The Governor is on every monitor.)

GOVERNOR [on screen]: For centuries, the Galatron Mining Corporation has declared rich dividends by exploiting our labour. Now is the time to steel ourselves for sacrifice, to gain what is ours by right.

(Sil is not amused.)

[Arak and Etta's rooms]

GOVERNOR [on screen]: As always, I seek ways to market the resources of our poor planet
ARAK: Blah, blah, blah. Get to the point.
ETTA: Shut your mouth.
GOVERNOR [on screen]: Seven credits per unit of zeiton ore mined is what I asked.
ARAK: Well, you won't get it.
ETTA: One more yak out of you, Arak, and you're down on my ViewStat report as a subvert.
GOVERNOR [on screen]: Surely that is not too much to ask.
ARAK: I'm entitled to an opinion.
ETTA: Entitled to a vote is all.
ARAK: I know how I'll use that, then.
GOVERNOR [on screen]: Viewers of Varos, I ask that we agree to hold out for what is a fair price for our principal marketable resource, that of zeiton ore. Those who wish to fight alongside me for a prosperous tomorrow, vote Yes to a ten percent reduction of our food rations. Those who wish for full bellies today and nothing to eat tomorrow have the option to punch their No button.
ARAK: Right.
(Arak goes straight to the No button by the screen. Etta votes Yes.
The results come up on the screen in front of the Governor. Yes - 633,156. No - 987,627. The Governor places his arms on the chair and clamps hold them still. Governor's recommendation defeated, says the computer. The Governor is subjected to a pulsing green light which clearly hurts. Etta can't bear to watch.)
ARAK: He's lost! Go on, pour it on and on.
ETTA: No, no.
ARAK: Yes, he's going. Yes, he's snuffed it!
ETTA: Has he?

(The green light goes out and the clamps release. The Governor is still alive.)

ARAK: Oh. Well, next time. Next time for sure.
ETTA: He's strong. That's three losing votes in a row!
ARAK: Yeah. Next vote will see him blasted out for sure. No one's ever taken four bashings from that cell disintegrator thing.
ETTA: I wish you'd leave him alone.
ARAK: Why? He's the worst Governor we've had since. Well, since
ETTA: Since the last one?

[Control area]

SIL: Is the Governor no more?
BAX: He survived. Just.
SIL: We must arrange good riddance of this bad Governor soon.
CHIEF: He is weakened by the human cell disintegration bombardment. Engage him in negotiations now and you may gain advantage.

(The Governor enters. One of the guards pulls a gun on him.)

GOVERNOR: Permission to leave Governor's domain.

(The Chief Officer nods, and the guard puts the gun away.)

CHIEF: Congratulations, sir. You survived the vote.
SIL: Soon, your death will be apparent. You will see. Should we try again to reach agreement before I must communicate with my executive council?
GOVERNOR: Later.
SIL: Now or never!
GOVERNOR: Give me a moment or two.
SIL: Very well. Transport me to the office of the Governor.

(Sil's slaves wheel him and his life support away.)

SIL: I find the G-forces of this Varos size world quite excessive.
GOVERNOR: I'm so tired.
CHIEF: I warned the people would not accept yet more rationing cuts for whatever the reason.

(The Chief Officer brings a metal chair for his Governor, in contrast to his own padded leather chair.)

GOVERNOR: This system of referendum, how much longer can I survive?
CHIEF: One more vote?
BAX: Governor, may I suggest you do something to please, to entertain, to please the people. Just to give yourself time to recover your strength. Why not give them the life of the rebel Jondar? After all, it's his death or yours.
GOVERNOR: It would have to be something different.
BAX: I thought perhaps by laser obliteration, sir, by a concentrated build-up of power. Neutralise the Q switch. That way, the random laser emitter builds up to a giant pulse of light, an explosion of focused laser energy that would wipe the prisoner out of existence.
GOVERNOR: We have never shown that style of despatch.
CHIEF: Too quick. It would be over too soon. We'd never be able to sell so swift an execution.
BAX: It's the uncertainly. No one knows quite when the power will blow. We could get at least ten minutes of tension out of his apprehension and fear.
CHIEF: It's novel, I suppose.
BAX: I'm sure the video of his execution would sell. You said we must export or die.
GOVERNOR: Yes. Yes, I did. Very well, arrange it. And Bax
BAX: Sir?
GOVERNOR: Thank you for the suggestion.

(Bax goes to his control panel.)

BAX: End random pulses. Conserve CB. Neutralise Q switch. Activate viewer warning of imminent public execution.

(Later, an officer wearing a mask that covers all but his mouth and one eye enters.)

QUILLAM: Bax.
BAX: Sir?
QUILLAM: The idea for the random laser obliteration, did that come from you?
BAX: Yes, Mister Quillam.
QUILLAM: Well done. New variation of execution is always welcome.
BAX: Thank you, sir.
QUILLAM: I'll bear you in mind when my rehabilitation section's reorganised.
BAX: Thank you, sir. I'd welcome a chance to work with you in prison research.
QUILLAM: Ah, Chief. What of the seditionist's woman? Does the Governor require shots of her witnessing her husband's obliteration?
CHIEF: He didn't ask for them.
QUILLAM: No sense of theatre.
CHIEF: Shall I order it?
QUILLAM: Oh, no, no, no. I have other delights in store for that lady.

[TARDIS]

(The Doctor is sitting disconsolately in a chair and sighing loudly when Peri brings in a large book labelled TARDIS Type 40 Manual.)

PERI: Here, a little something to stop you sighing like a steam engine.
DOCTOR: What is it?
PERI: TARDIS manual. I found it in the workshop propping open a vent.
DOCTOR: Oh, yeah. Started reading that once.

(He tosses it to the floor.)

PERI: Hey! Won't that tell you what's wrong with the TARDIS?
DOCTOR: Huh, I know perfectly well what category of disaster has befallen us.
PERI: The comparator?
DOCTOR: No. No, not this time. Might as well confirm my diagnosis. Something to pass eternity with, I suppose.

(Meanwhile, the Chief Officer is driven into the Punishment Dome on an electric car.)

PERI: Doctor, the column moved!
DOCTOR: Oh, yeah? Probably some vestigial power passing through to the transitional elements. Which would mean

(He leaps up and starts riffling through the pages of the manual.)

DOCTOR: Where are we?
PERI: What is it?
DOCTOR: Yes. Hold that. Don't lose the place. And don't give up hope. Not yet.
PERI: Yes, Doctor.

[Governor's office]

(Another broadcast is in session.)

GOVERNOR: Another attempt will be made to obtain better terms for the mining of our resources. One other pronouncement. As Governor, I hold final say as to the appeal against sentence of death. The rebel Jondar, although enduring his pre-execution ordeal well, must nevertheless suffer the fate of all who transgress the rules of our society.

[Control area]

(Sil is watching the broadcast.)

GOVERNOR [on screen]: At eight o'clock, then, attend to your screens to witness what must befall all who oppose the reality of our just constitution.

[Cells]

(Wooden animal pens, more like. A young guard speaks to a woman sitting on a bench.)

RONDEL: The order for your husband's execution has just been received.
ARETA: When is it?
RONDEL: Soon.
ARETA: Jondar was your friend.
RONDEL: Before he rebelled against orders.
ARETA: Curious to see how the life of a guard has changed you.
RONDEL: I can do nothing.
ARETA: Rondel! Do you know what he found, what he saw?
RONDEL: No. Please!
ARETA: While the rest of us toil without hope, the officer elite enjoy power and luxury.
RONDEL: Lies!
ARETA: Varos is what is always was. A prison planet, a colony for the criminally insane. The descendants of the original officers still rule, by fear, with the spectacle of death our only entertainment. That is what Jondar found, what he learnt. That is why they want to kill him.
RONDEL: I must leave.
ARETA: Can't we make an attempt to save him? Rondel, please.
RONDEL: It's too late.

[TARDIS]

DOCTOR: TR reading from the IV table.
PERI: Is that in the hypertime ratio section.
DOCTOR: Where else?
PERI: Er, orthoganal reading is Zee S plus 101 EQ.
DOCTOR: Zee? Oh, zed.
PERI: Yes.
DOCTOR: Well, that's as it should be. The power conversion factor is stable, so why aren't we receiving full transmission of that power? There's a possibility. May I?
PERI: What is it?
DOCTOR: Let me see. Yes, we might. We'll try. Hold that.

(The Doctor starts pressing buttons, then strokes his cat badge for luck. The time rotor moves.)

PERI: Doctor, it's working!
DOCTOR: With the last vestiges of our emergency power booster. Enough for a limited flight, no further. The thing that depresses me most of all is that the transitional elements have lost the capacity to generate orbital energy and should be, must be, replaced.
PERI: How long would that take?
DOCTOR: No time at all. If we can obtain enough zeiton-7 to reline the transpower system, the TARDIS will be like, well, as she was. No, it's not the fitting that's the problem. Zeiton is a very rare element. It's only to be found on one planet.
PERI: Well, let's go there, then.
DOCTOR: Hmm? Oh. I suppose if we use the emergency power booster to bypass the failing circuits, we could just reach the planet of Varos in the constellation of Cetes. Question is, when? If we miss their mining era, we'll be stranded for evermore.
PERI: Well, anything's better than being stuck here.

[Cells]

(Areta has another visitor. Rondel stands guard.)

QUILLAM: What's inside that skull? Anger? Fear?
ARETA: Hatred of you, Quillam.
QUILLAM: Ah, but hatred of yourself as well. We all have some parts of our mind that we consider unworthy, some memory that makes us shudder and squirm. Do you know what my process of transmutation does? It focuses on the seeds of fear in your mind and makes them grow until you, your body, your face, your entire being, transforms into the image in your mind. You should turn into something quite interesting. A reptile, or something simian perhaps.
ARETA: Or something truly loathsome, such as you.
QUILLAM: Take her to the rehabilitation unit.
RONDEL: Sir.

[Punishment Dome]

CHIEF: For sedition, thought rebellion, and incitement of other rebels to organise, to unionise and to terrorise the workforce of Varos, the vote of the people was for your death to take place by laser obliteration.
JONDAR: The Governor was to consider my appeal!
CHIEF: Our Governor bows to the will of his people. As Systems Arbiter and Chief Officer, I confirm that the conditions of the Constitution have been complied with. I therefore permit your execution to proceed.
JONDAR: When will this be, Chief Officer?
CHIEF: At eight o'clock. You have ample time to compose yourself for eternity. All of five short minutes.

(The Chief turns away and talks to another guard.)

CHIEF: It isn't exactly certain when obliteration takes place. Stand clear of the execution site. You have your anti-hallucination helmet?
MALDAK: Yes, sir.
CHIEF: Good. Switched on?
MALDAK: Yes, sir.
CHIEF: Good. We wouldn't wish for one of my guards to succumb to the phantoms of the Punishment Dome. Not with all of Varos watching.
MALDAK: No, sir.

(The Chief is driven away. Then the TARDIS materialises. Maldak thinks his anti-hallucination helmet is malfunctioning.)

[TARDIS]

DOCTOR: Ah, who's this coming to welcome us?

(On the scanner, Maldak shoots at the TARDIS.)

[Punishment Dome]

(The energy rays bounce off the TARDIS. Maldak uses his helmet radio.)

MALDAK: Control. Senior Guard Maldak 239. Report of fault on anti-hallucination helmet. Am experiencing sensory distortion. Permission to withdraw?
CHIEF [OC]: Stay until after execution.
MALDAK: Understood.

[TARDIS]

PERI: Artificial atmosphere, enclosed, underground, breathable.
DOCTOR: With distorted readings from a nearby power source.
PERI: What kind of place is this, Doctor? Why did that man fire at us and then turn away as if we didn't exist?
DOCTOR: Let's go and ask him.

[Control area]

(Sil and the Chief are watching the clock on the screen with Jondar's image. 19:58.39 and ticking on. Sil is getting very excited, while the Governor sits nearby, impassive. Dax enters.)
BAX: Sir, Chief, there's something wrong.
CHIEF: Be quiet!
BAX: But we
CHIEF: Attend to your function!
SIL: Silence! Execution is imminent.

(Less than one minute to eight o'clock.)

GOVERNOR: What is it?
SIL: This is the most wonderful entertainment.

[Punishment Dome]

DOCTOR: Hello.
PERI: Hi!
DOCTOR: Not interrupting anything?
MALDAK: I know how this place works. I know you are but a product of my mind, and I choose to resist you to know that you cannot exist.
DOCTOR: Quite right.
MALDAK: Control, Control, my anti-hallucination switch is suffering malfunction. Permission to withdraw.
DOCTOR: That's what we've come to fix. Isn't that right, Peri?
PERI: Yes, sure.
DOCTOR: Let me have it. Come on. Give it to me now.

(The Doctor grabs Maldak's gun and they struggle, going backwards in front of Jondar.)

PERI: Doctor, careful!

(Jondar takes the opportunity to kick Maldak, knocking him out.)

DOCTOR: Thank you.

[Control area]

SIL: Is this planned?
GOVERNOR: Certainly not. What's happened?
CHIEF: I'll alert the IR squad immediately, sir.
BAX: Sir, there's another group
CHIEF: Yes, thank you, we have seen.
GOVERNOR: Are they rebels?
BAX: I don't know.
GOVERNOR: We must, we must act.
SIL: They must be apprehended, sentenced, executed. All of them!
GOVERNOR: Attend to it.
CHIEF: Sir. Bax!
BAX: Sir.

(The Chief and Bax leave.)

SIL: My company is only interested in stable situations.
GOVERNOR: Varos has been stable for more than two hundred years.
SIL: See you remain so, or a most unfavourable report I will give!
GOVERNOR: I, I'm

(The Governor staggers.)

SIL: Help him.

(One of Sil's slaves helps the Governor into his seat.)

SIL: Now, my dear friend, what is good price for your zeiton-7 ore?
GOVERNOR: Seven credits per unit. Seven. I'm so, so tired.

(The Governor passes out.)

SIL: Seven credits a unit, when the engineers of every known solar system cry out for his product to drive their space-time craft? A planet of fools who don't realise their luck and don't deserve to. Return to our craft. Alert the Council to have a colonising force sent to this sector.
SLAVE: Right.
SIL: When I control this planet, I will possess the means of power throughout this entire galaxy! And, perhaps, for all others beyond.

[Punishment Dome]

(The Doctor is examining the laser device.)

JONDAR: Help me! Whoever you are, quickly!
DOCTOR: Peri, pull his away from the wall.

(Peri pulls Jondar to the right.)

PERI: Like this?
DOCTOR: That's it. Right, hold. Close your eyes and wish for luck. Here we go.

(The Doctor uses a horseshoe magnet to trigger a laser beam which cuts the chain to the left manacle.)

DOCTOR: Right, now the other one.

(The Doctor retargets the laser as guards arrive in an electric car and investigate the TARDIS. Jondar is free.)

JONDAR: Who are you?
DOCTOR: Let's get back to the TARDIS, I'll explain there.
PERI: Doctor!
DOCTOR: Then again, retreat another way might be a more viable idea.
PERI: They're too close.
DOCTOR: Help me turn this round.

(They swing the camera cum laser round to point at the entrance to the execution area.)

DOCTOR: Right.

(He inserts the magnet again.)

DOCTOR: Come on!

(The Doctor, Jondar and Peri flee down a corridor. A guard walks round the corner straight into the laser beam and vanishes.)

[Control area]

CHIEF: Kill laser connection!

(With the laser off, a guard checks round the corner then gets back into the electric car. He and his colleagues drive down the corridor.)

[Arak and Etta's rooms]

ARAK: Run! Run! Go on, run!

[Corridor]

DOCTOR: It's a dead end.
JONDAR: I can't go on much further.
PERI: Nor me.
DOCTOR: What is this place?
JONDAR: An ordinary prison once, but now. There's a patrol car coming. I'm sorry, I thought there was an escape cell down here.
DOCTOR: Let's create a little difficulty for our uniformed friends, shall we?

(The Doctor looks at the CCTV on the wall.)

JONDAR: Why should you want to help me?
DOCTOR: You're the only person we've encountered so far who hasn't tried to destroy us. Help me. Pull! Pull!

(Together they rip out the cabling for the CCTV.)

DOCTOR: Ah! Right, let's see what I can do with this. Stand back.

(The Doctor short-circuits the power in the area. The patrol car comes to a halt as the lights go out.)

[Control area]

(All the monitors go to static.)

CHIEF: Where's that emergency lighting?

[Corridor]

(Down by the dead end, a hand beckons to them through a hitherto unseen doorway.)

DOCTOR: If you insist.
PERI: (to Jondar) This way.

(The doorway closes after them, and before the patrol car approaches.)

[Escape cell]

(In the hideaway, the Doctor, Peri, Jondar, Areta and Rondal hold their breath until the patrol car backs away up the passageway again. Areta helps Jondar remove his manacles.)

ARETA: I thought we'd lost you. They set up your execution so quickly we couldn't even stage an attempt at a rescue.
JONDAR: I thought he was sent by you.
ARETA: No.
DOCTOR: I will explain. I'd sooner leave whatever this place is and get back to the safety of the TARDIS, er, ship.
JONDAR: Spaceship?
PERI: Something like that.
ARETA: Rondal's agreed to help us escape through the guard's entrance.
RONDAL: We must leave straightaway.
DOCTOR: First, I want to know what this place is.
JONDAR: This place is where the innocent are tortured as the population gloats over our efforts to survive.
RONDAL: Not all enjoy. Some of us seek to help.

(He gives Jondar a jacket to put on.)

ARETA: For every Rondal there are thousands of Varosians slumped over their wall screens, deadened by overwork and starvation.
DOCTOR: Starvation? But Varos has precious mineral deposits. Zeiton-7.
JONDAR: That stuff. Who wants it?
DOCTOR: I wouldn't say no to a little.
RONDAL: We must go.

(They go out into the passageway, and Rondal gets shot down. Areta pushes everyone back inside.)

[Arak and Etta's room]

ARAK: Great! Great, they're getting away!
ETTA: Yeah, but wait till they meet the guards at the end of the tunnel.
ARAK: Nah, they'll be all right. This batch of rebos are good.
ETTA: I like that one, the one in the funny clothes.

[Corridor]

DOCTOR: Back.

(They hide round a corner as a patrol car passes.)

DOCTOR: All these cameras, do they feed pictures from here into every home?
JONDAR: The whole dome is wired. Areas of ingenious danger lurk in every corner. You can die in so many varied and spectacular ways.
ARETA: The cruel thing is that there is supposed to be safe route leading towards an exit. Freedom.
DOCTOR: If we can get back to the TARDIS, we can get away from here much more easily.
JONDAR: How?
PERI: You find a way back to the TARDIS and then the Doctor'll be delighted to demonstrate.
ARETA: Do you know where we are?
JONDAR: Near the purple zone, next to the interrogation and execution area.
ARETA: Is there another way to get back to his spaceship?
DOCTOR: TARDIS.
JONDAR: Not without traversing the purple zone.
ARETA: Then we're trapped. Good as dead.
DOCTOR: Not yet. Let's see what this purple passage has to offer.
JONDAR: Is he sane, this Doctor?
PERI: Sometimes.

(The Doctor has gone down the passageway.)

DOCTOR: Peri, this is no time for casual conversation.
PERI [OC]: Coming.

(The three come round the corner.)

DOCTOR: We must pass through quickly. Quickly! The guards might return any time.
JONDAR: Come on. We must try.

(The Doctor leads them into an area of purple light.)

[Arak and Etta's rooms]

ARAK: Oh, I like this section. I wonder if they know what's waiting.
ETTA: This'll sort them out.

[Purple Zone]

(A giant fly blocks the way. The four stare in horror, then the Doctor closes his eyes.)

DOCTOR: Of course, that's it. Close your eyes.
PERI: I can't.
DOCTOR: Close them. Now! Right, now all take hands. That's it. Now, follow me. It's just an illusion.

(The Doctor walks on, leading Peri, Jondar and Areta.)

DOCTOR: Come on, but whatever happens, keep your eyes closed.

(Feeling his way along the side of the passageway, the Doctor leads them through the giant fly, which disappears.)

[Control area]

SIL: He's not a fool, your intruder.
BAX: Perhaps just lucky.
CHIEF: Or he has received information on how the dome works. There was a guard helping them.
BAX: The prison contains too many devices. No one could know or survive them all.
SIL: They do not seem or act like Varosians. They could be from a rival company! The Amorb-Prospect Division. I would want the strangers removed for questioning.
CHIEF: Get me a line to patrol headquarters.
BAX: Yes, Chief.
SIL: Then check on that object found near the execution chamber. Have it brought here at once!

[Corridor]

DOCTOR: All clear.
PERI: Oh, what was that thing we saw? A creature from my worst imaginings.

(Buzz. Something lands on the Doctor's shoulder.)

DOCTOR: It might in fact. Ah ha! There we are.
ARETA: A gee-jee fly? But it was huge!
DOCTOR: We thought it was. That little fly was enlarged by the effect of the purple zone on our visual cortex. Once the purple light was eliminated, we were restored to a proper sense of proportion. Interesting.
PERI: Is everything we experience here like that?
JONDAR: No, some dangers are very real. The crowd loves to watch trialists face a danger they believe to be imaginary. The viewers applaud and shout with laughter as we poor fools walk towards certain death.
DOCTOR: Who loves to watch?
JONDAR: Almost all of Varos. It's the way the officers divert discontent, questions, thoughts of revolution.
DOCTOR: Oh. Let's see what else this fun palace has to offer.
PERI: Oh, what a stench. Phew!
JONDAR: Animal.
DOCTOR: Real or imaginary? Just as loathsome. The niff at least is not an illusion. Or is it?

(The Doctor takes a step forward. Something roars and large green eyes appear in the darkness ahead.)

JONDAR: Just like ComTec design to put a real monster immediately beyond an imaginary one.
DOCTOR: Or is that exactly how they would expect us to reason. One way to find out.
PERI: No, Doctor!

(Areta holds Peri back as the Doctor walks towards the green eyes.)

DOCTOR: It's all right, they're lights. Green lights, two of them.

[Control area]

BAX: The ViewPop like them. We've received very good punch-in appreciation figures.
CHIEF: Good. All the more impact when they are captured, tried and executed. A rebo leader, and his woman, and intruders from another world. That's not only prime time viewing here, but the recording of their final agonies will sell on every civilised world.

[Execution area]

(Back where they started.)

PERI: The TARDIS should be
DOCTOR: Just here.

(But it isn't.)

DOCTOR: It was just here.
ARETA: Your ship has gone?
DOCTOR: It most certainly has.
JONDAR: Where?
PERI: Yes, Doctor, where?
DOCTOR: Well, it can't be far away. Hmm. Come on.

[Control area]

(A guard is trying to cut into the TARDIS, and failing.)

SIL: This mysterious most is.
CHIEF: There's an explanation. The strangers will be captured soon, then we'll force some answers.

(The Governor enters.)

SIL: Who are other people helping rebels? If he should be of another mining corporation, our contracts are ended.
GOVERNOR: No, he is unknown to us.
SIL: I would wish them dead. Only that would please my company.
GOVERNOR: Close them out, Chief. Use every guard available. I'll talk to the people. Arrange it quickly.
BAX: What about this?
GOVERNOR: Keep trying to open it.

[Corridor]

PERI: All these corridors look the same to me.
DOCTOR: Check down there.

(The Doctor goes into a side passage.)

JONDAR: Shush. There's a patrol car coming. Quick!
PERI: Doctor, look out!

(Peri follows Jondar and Areta. The Doctor comes out of the side passage just ahead of the patrol car.)

GUARD: There's one!

[Arak and Etta's rooms]

ARAK: They've had it now.

[Corridor]

(Jondar, Peri and Areta are cornered at a dead end. Maldak gets out of the patrol car and slaps Peri across the face.)

MALDAK: Make a fool of me, would you? Take her to the Prison Control Centre. The others, to the termination cell.

(Elsewhere, a door swings shut behind the Doctor. The passageway ahead is smoky and brightly lit.)

[Arak and Etta's rooms]

ETTA: Oh, dear. And I really liked him.
GOVERNOR [on screen]: Good evening.
ARAK: Oh, no. What's he want?

(Etta stands to attention.)

ETTA: Shut up and listen.

[Governor's office]

GOVERNOR: I must report that the attempt to divert the course of justice has been repelled. The rebel and his compatriots have either been captured or destroyed. The extent of the rebellion is greater than feared, and help from another source, perhaps from another world, is suspected. The vehicle of their transport is now in the possession of my officer guard. The leader of the invaders is at this moment walking into a no-options kill centre. There he will suffer the fate of all who seek to overturn the law of Varos.

(The Doctor is breathing heavily. Ahead he sees an image of a desert, with drifting sand dunes.)

GOVERNOR: I ask you to vote now upon my campaign to halt insurrection. I await your verdict. Yes, and the rebellion will be crushed. No, and no doubt another Governor will have other plans.

(The Governor's arms are clamped to the chair. There is a brief pause, then he is released unharmed.)

GOVERNOR: Thank you.

[Kill centre]

(The Doctor removes his coat, sweltering in the remorseless desert heat. He goes forward then falls to his knees, gasping. Arak finds it all very amusing. Ahead, the Doctor sees Peri drinking from a glass.)

PERI: Drink, Doctor? Drink, Doctor. Drink water. Drink water.
DOCTOR: Peri!

(The image holds out the glass, then vanishes. The Doctor collapses.)

[Control area]

(The Governor enters. Sil is almost besides himself with excitement.)

CHIEF: What a wonderful thing a man's mind is. The hallucinatory inductor makes him believe he cannot survive, and soon he will be unable to draw one breath after the next.

[Arak and Etta's rooms]

(On the screen, the Doctor crawls forward on his elbows.)

ARAK: Have we got anything to drink?

[Control area]

(Peri is brought in.)

PERI: Doctor!
GOVERNOR: Keep quiet! We're recording. The moment approaches. Close up on death throes, please.

(With one last effort, the Doctor looks around himself at the endless dunes, then falls back to the ground.)

BAX: No sign of life, sir.
SIL: Dead as death!
BAX: How long should I hold?
GOVERNOR: And cut it, now.
Part Two

[Control area]

PERI: You animals! What have you done to the Doctor?
CHIEF: Show her.

(Dax switches the monitors to a view of the Doctor being loaded onto a gurney.)

PERI: No, I don't believe it. He can't be dead.
GOVERNOR: I'm afraid he is.
PERI: You did it. You killed him.

(Peri goes to scratch the Governor's eyes out, but he grabs her hands.)

GOVERNOR: Not really. He had an hallucination that he was lost in a desert. His mind thought he was dying of thirst.
SIL: His body agreed, so die they did.
PERI: What is that thing?
CHIEF: Show some respect.
GOVERNOR: Now, tell me, the dead intruder was called the Doctor?
CHIEF: So who are you?
SIL: Answer. Answer. Answer!

(Peri keeps her mouth shut.)

[Arak and Etta's rooms]

(Arak has fetched them both a glass of water.)

ARAK: Why do they keep showing that stiff?
ETTA: They know what they're doing.

(The Doctor's eyelid twitches.)

ETTA: Ah!
ARAK: What?
ETTA: He moved!
ARAK: Reflex.
ETTA: Maybe he isn't fully dead.
ARAK: Then he soon will be. Here comes the acid bath.
ETTA: Oh, I hate this bit.

(Another body, covered in black plastic, is lowered into a large bubbling vat.)

ARAK: They always do that. It's to show the acid's highly corrosive.
ETTA: Shut up.

[Control area]

(The Chief Officer and the Governor speak quietly with Peri, a short distance from Sil.)

CHIEF: Who are you?
PERI: You wouldn't believe me.
SIL: You agents of Amorb are!
PERI: I don't know what that is or even what he says.
GOVERNOR: Sil's language transposer has an eccentric communication circuit. But, don't tell him, it's my only amusement.
CHIEF: Don't upset the Galatron delegate, please. We need that agreement to sell the zeiton ore to his company.
GOVERNOR: On the starvation rate he offers us?
CHIEF: Who else will buy our only asset?
GOVERNOR: Why not find other mining companies who will refine zeiton ore on better terms? Who will pay the seven credits per unit I ask? Why not Amorb?
SIL: Never!
CHIEF: The people of Varos have voted to accept Sil's final terms. You as Governor must impose their will or suffer death by7 default.
GOVERNOR: After I extract the truth about this girl and her companion, the Doctor. Come.

(The Governor and Peri leave.)

[Acid bath room]

(The Doctor wakes, sits up then gets off the gurney whilst the attendants are watching their test item dissolve in the acid, and taps one on the shoulder.)

DOCTOR: I had the most peculiar dream

(The attendant turns round, raising his hands, and knocks his companion into the acid bath. The Doctor grabs a gurney then the stretcher to use as a shield as he and the attendant struggle. The one in the acid reaches up and grabs his friend's trousers, pulling him into the acid too. The Doctor puts down the stretcher and picks up his jacket.)

DOCTOR: You'll forgive me if I don't join you.

[Governor's office]

(Peri is sitting in an armchair, crying.)

GOVERNOR: What's the matter? Oh, you grieve for his death. I forget that people do.
PERI: You don't?
GOVERNOR: I did once, but now death is my only friend, my constant and loving companion. Can you feel his, his cold presence?
PERI: I don't want to, thanks.
GOVERNOR: You should. Your life is even more at risk than mine.

(The Chief Officer enters.)

CHIEF: The Doctor, he's escaped.
GOVERNOR: How? He's dead.
CHIEF: Not dead. He was just pretending to be.
PERI: He's alive?
CHIEF: And running.
GOVERNOR: Good.
CHIEF: Good?
GOVERNOR: Recapture him, and we bargain this girl's life for information from our Doctor friend.
PERI: And I thought you were a bit better than these other brutes.
GOVERNOR: I'm sorry.

[Uniform store]

(The Doctor takes a mask like the one Quillam the scientist wears and puts it on, then a uniform and turns round. Quillam is pointing a gun at him.)

DOCTOR: I thought you were my mirror image until I realised that I wasn't holding a gun.
QUILLAM: Who are you?
DOCTOR: A student of science, much interested in primitive nuclear technology.
QUILLAM: The mask. Remove it.

(The Doctor obeys.)

QUILLAM: I've seen you on the screens. You've returned from the dead.
DOCTOR: A waste of effort. I assume there will be something novel by way of spectacle to mark my return to that state?
QUILLAM: I should think something might be arranged. Let's have a little word with the executioners. They're always on the lookout for fresh material.
DOCTOR: After you.
QUILLAM: I don't think so.

[Governor's office]

(Sil and the Chief Officer have joined the Governor and Peri.)

SIL: Why is she on Varos?
GOVERNOR: She won't say.
SIL: Are you employed agent of other mining companies, you and that man who was dead?
PERI: No.
SIL: Liar! You belong to Amorb, you lying liar.
GOVERNOR: Why should she belong to Amorb? Well?
PERI: I'm from another time, another century. Nearly three centuries before you were born, I lived in another world. I had an idea you wouldn't believe me.
GOVERNOR: You were right.

(Dax enters and whispers to the Governor.)

CHIEF: Give her to the rehabilitators. A disturbance of her molecular structure will bring out the truth.
SIL: Put her into the reshapement chamber. Watch her change into beast or bird.
PERI: No.
GOVERNOR: Why are you here, Peri? Tell me, please.
PERI: All right. Our TARDIS, that box thing outside, is, if you like, a ship of time, a sort of spacecraft. Well, I don't understand the technical stuff, but the Doctor said we must have this special metal to fix the bearings or something, so we had to come here. That's just what we did.
SIL: She's laughing at us, all over the face.
PERI: It's the truth!
GOVERNOR: No matter. Once again, we've captured the mysterious Doctor. Quillam came across him at Prison Control.
CHIEF: He'd have liked that, sir.
GOVERNOR: Yes. How long is it since we rigged a primitive execution, Chief?
CHIEF: Not since after the Outer Dome sabotage trial.
GOVERNOR: Hmm. I think it's time we staged another.
CHIEF: They're always most enjoyable, aren't they, sir.
PERI: What kind of people are you?

[Arak and Etta's rooms]

(The screen now shows two emaciated old men in loincloths squabbling over a bone. Arak is lying down while Etta fills in a form.)

ARAK: What're you doing?
ETTA: My viewers report.
ARAK: I'm not on it, am I? I was tired. Reports. Spying. Working men should be
ETTA: Yes? Yes? Go on.
ARAK: Er, not taken seriously for the rubbish they may have spoken earlier on.

[Prison]

(A more usual metal cage arrangement containing the Doctor, Jondar and Areta.)

DOCTOR: All very traditional. The whole ghastly ritual to be played out.

(They can see a hangman arranging nooses on a scaffold.)

JONDAR: Four nooses.
DOCTOR: No need to ask for whom.
JONDAR: But there's only three of us.
ARETA: A spare. They're very thorough.
DOCTOR: A fourth noose for Peri is a more likely explanation. But why isn't she in here with us?
JONDAR: Plenty of other prisoners the authorities would be happy to rid themselves of.
DOCTOR: Why are they so anxious to eliminate you?
JONDAR: Because I was curious. I used to maintain the surface shuttle cars. One day I was required to deliver the cars to the dome where the Chief Officer lives. I was never allowed in. Security was excessive, even for Varos. That day my curiosity became too much. I hid inside a car, went inside to where the elite live. Luxury, richness, wealth. I didn't see much, but enough to know that a giant deception had been played against all of our people except for the favoured, the very favoured, few. I pretended I'd seen nothing.
ARETA: The suspicion that perhaps he had was enough to bring him to the Dome of Punishment as fodder for their displays of cruelty and violence.
JONDAR: Areta is my wife. They condemned her, too.
DOCTOR: Without trial.
JONDAR: Secret trial.
ARETA: It's the same thing.

(A procession arrives outside, led by two monks, one with a thurible. Then comes a priest carrying his holy book, a jailer and two guards. The jailer enters the cage.)

DOCTOR: Hello.
JAILER: Your appeal has been turned down. I'm sorry.
DOCTOR: So would I have been, if I'd asked for one.

(The Doctor leaves the cage, stands behind the priest and looks over his shoulder as he opens the holy book to start chanting.)

DOCTOR: Do you always get the priest parts?

(Jondar and Areta come out after him.)

PRIEST: We are gathered here today in the sight of the great Video to ask forgiveness and make atonement for three amongst us who have transgressed the laws of Varos.

[Scaffold]

(Just a few steps brings the procession in front of the scaffold. Peri is brought in between the Chief Officer and the Governor, while Sil is wheeled in by his slaves.)

PERI: Doctor, I'm sorry. I've tried everything. They just won't believe the truth.
DOCTOR: Truth is a very flexible commodity here on Varos, Peri. As long as things appear truthful, that's all that matters.
GOVERNOR: Enlighten us as to the truth about your visit, please, Doctor.
DOCTOR: Why, to help Varos realise the wealth of its potential, what else?
SIL: How, by eating rocks? Kill him! Execute them!
CHIEF: He must have listened to the rebel Jondar and believed his lies.
GOVERNOR: Yes, yes. What is the staging plan, Chief?
CHIEF: The men to hang. The women, I would suggest, be given to reshapement and cell mutation experiment, the results to be exhibited as a warning to women who support their men in acts of violation against the regulations of Varos. I'm sorry you'll be denied the sight of the ladies turning into, well, who knows what. A serpent? A griffin? A new admixture of fish and fowl?
GOVERNOR: Anything to add, Doctor? Anything which might persuade me to halt the sequence of events?
DOCTOR: One request.
CHIEF: One last request? Yes?
GOVERNOR: Well?
DOCTOR: Who is he? Why is he here?
SIL: What interest can my presence matter?
GOVERNOR: The delegate from the Galatron Mining Corporation is here to negotiate our yearly review of market price for the ore of Varos.
DOCTOR: Zeiton ore? Zeiton-7?
GOVERNOR: Yes.
DOCTOR: I see. Thank you.
GOVERNOR: Is that all you wish to know?
DOCTOR: For the moment.
SIL: That's all you have, Doctor.
CHIEF: Take the women away.
PERI: Doctor, do something!
ARETA: Jondar! Jondar!

(Peri and Areta are dragged away. The Doctor and Jondar are led up the steps to the scaffold.)

PRIEST: In the name of the great Video and of Varos, who gave his name to our planet, accept the lives of these humble deviants in recompense for their sins. We pray that you will continue to look benignly down upon your devoted servants.

(The hangman tightens the nooses around the Doctor and Jondar's necks. )

GOVERNOR: Anything to say, Doctor? Anything which may yet save your lives?
DOCTOR: Sorry?
GOVERNOR: So am I. All right.

(The hangman reaches for the trapdoor lever.)

DOCTOR: Wait!
GOVERNOR: I knew it. Hold on broadcast. No sound or vision.

(Dax turns off the camera.)

DOCTOR: My death will prevent Varos from ever progressing out of the reach of extortion of such as the Galatron Mining Company. Our deaths will send any hope for this planet back into the pit of fear and misery, which has for so long been the lot of its people.
SIL: Pull the lever! Stretch them out of this life!
DOCTOR: Wait! I came to this planet because I needed a new source of energy supply. My TARDIS depends for its function upon a rare and precious mineral of Varos. Zeiton-7. I can show you new prosperity.
SIL: Destroy them now!
GOVERNOR: I will give the order for execution.
SIL: Kill! Kill! Kill!

(Sil's slaves run towards the scaffold. A guard and hangman hold one back from the lever but the other gets free of his guard and pulls it. The Doctor and Jondar drop through the trapdoors. The ropes are not attached to anything and there is no breaking of necks. The Governor sends the monks off and the guards take the slaves away. The Doctor and Jondar enter.)

GOVERNOR: I trust you are unharmed, Doctor?
DOCTOR: Do you often employ the noose trick?
GOVERNOR: As a means of eliciting true information, it has often been successful. You suspected our bluff?
DOCTOR: I noticed your cameras weren't broadcasting. A real execution would have been broadcast.
GOVERNOR: Ah, yes. What I have to discover now is the truth of your statements made from the scaffold.
DOCTOR: I will discuss nothing, reveal nothing, until I have proof that Peri and Areta have been released unharmed from the cell mutation experiment.
SIL: He has nothing to reveal. He is lying. An Amorb agent who wishes only to usurp our worthy Galatron contracts by rashful promises.
GOVERNOR: Until I can hear what each of you has to say or offer, the matter rests without decision. Should the Doctor be lying, he will find the next noose about his neck will sever his head from his spinal column. But should he be accurate in his appraisal of the potential worth of our zeiton ore, I shall want to know, Sil, why you and your company have been duping Varos these many generations.
SIL: How dare I be spoken to like this! I will reject all offers!
GOVERNOR: That releases me from my people's decision to accept them. Thank you.
SIL: Pargh!

[Rehabilitation unit]

(Quillam and Dax peel back silver foil to reveal Peri and Areta tied down onto beds.)

QUILLAM: Preparation complete. To your posts.

(They leave, and the two women are bathed in bright light.)

PERI: How long will the process last?
ARETA: I heard them say it was a matter for initial experiment.
PERI: Anything could happen to us just for their amusement.
ARETA: Oh, something's happening to my arms.
PERI: Mine feel strange too. My skin. Oh no!

(Peri looks at her right hand, which is growing feathers.)

[Control area]

(Somewhere in the a black background. Two more slaves have appeared to move Sil around.)

SIL: Intolerable all of this Doctor being allowed to live!
CHIEF: The Governor likes and may believe him. Zeiton-7 has brought your company great wealth. You have miscalculated events. For the sake of a few miserable extra credits you may have lost the source of all our wealth and power!
SIL: Listen to me. I have plans to take charge of this planet of Varos. I have put in a request to have a Galatron occupation force to speed to this sector. A little time is all we need, Chief.
CHIEF: The Doctor will tell him the true value of zeiton!
SIL: Only if his women are released unharmed. Have you done that?
CHIEF: Not yet.
SIL: Then let us observe the experiment of the tissue transmogrifier. I am interested in science. I do not wish to impede its progress.

[Rehabilitation unit]

(The Chief Officer and Sil watch Peri turn into a bird and Areta a reptile from an upper observation area.)

SIL: Doctor's friend is feathered. The other one, she's almost attractive now. How long before permanent result ensues?
CHIEF: I'm not exactly certain. It's not too long, I would think.
SIL: Perhaps I'll keep them in my dome as pretty-pretty pets.

[Control area]

QUILLAM: It is too advanced.
DOCTOR: Well, where are they?
GOVERNOR: There's a problem.
DOCTOR: What?
GOVERNOR: Something they call a transmogrifier was at too advanced a stage.
CHIEF: We were unable to reverse the transmutation of your lovely ladies.
DOCTOR: There was plenty of time to halt the experiment.
GOVERNOR: I gave explicit orders that the process be halted.
CHIEF: Too late. Sorry.
JONDAR: I'll kill him.
DOCTOR: Who controls the transmutation experiment?
GOVERNOR: Mister Quillam, our technical director and principal devisor of programmes.
QUILLAM: And controller of all that happens in the People's Dome of Punishment and Correction.

(Quillam calls up the image of Areta and Peri on the monitors.)

JONDAR: Areta! Do something!
GOVERNOR: It's probably too late.
DOCTOR: Only probably.
QUILLAM: It is an unstable process. Even I am not quite certain as to how it works exactly.
DOCTOR: That beam that radiates, what source of energy is it derived from?
QUILLAM: The nuclear bombardment beams release all the power latent in the recipient's mind. If the changelings see themselves as unworthy, they can become serpentine or reptilian. She, for instance, must wish to fly away from trouble as would a bird.
GOVERNOR: It's an offshoot of our mining research technology. We found our miners growing fur and claws, the better, they thought, to dig with.
DOCTOR: How can the process be reversed?
QUILLAM: Who knows? We don't require such findings here.
DOCTOR: And you call yourself a research scientist?
QUILLAM: Certainly. Which is why this trial must continue. An experiment like this has never been so advanced or so successful before.
DOCTOR: Turn off the machine. They might still be restored to normality.
GOVERNOR: Mister Quillam, I make formal request.
QUILLAM: I am Section Controller, a permanent position. No one orders me. Certainly not a transient Governor in the twilight of his reign.
DOCTOR: Who decides the authority of command?
GOVERNOR: The regulations hand it to the Officer Guard by long tradition.
DOCTOR: But it can be changed?
QUILLAM: Not by him.
GOVERNOR: You have held your position for too long, Mister Quillam. That becomes ever more obvious.
QUILLAM: No one has the nerve or the will to wrest it from me, Mister Governor, sir.
DOCTOR: Do you still experiment on your own person?
QUILLAM: Not any more. Why?
DOCTOR: But in the past you exposed yourself to much danger, I think.
QUILLAM: Yes. Why do you ask? How do you know?
DOCTOR: Your mask.

(The Doctor pulls Quillam's mask off to reveal scar tissue over one eye. The distraction enables Jondar to take the gun from his guard.)

JONDAR: Hold it!

(The Doctor goes to the other guard.)

DOCTOR: Gun. Thank you.

(The Doctor points the weapon at Quillam's head.)

DOCTOR: Turn off the transmutation process.
QUILLAM: Take your choice. There must be a hundred switches to choose from, if it's a switch that controls the bombardment beams.
JONDAR: Doctor, can you decide which?
DOCTOR: No time.

(The Doctor shoots at Quillam's control console twice, and it explodes. Furious, Quillam attacks the Doctor and is knocked out by Jondar.)

DOCTOR: You, out.

(The Doctor and Jondar take Maldak with them, leaving the Chief sitting at his desk with the Governor standing over him.)

[Rehabilitation unit]

(Maldak lets them into the room. An alarm sounds. The Doctor puts up Jondar's weapon.)

DOCTOR: That won't be necessary. Keys. Thank you. Out.

(Maldak leaves and the Doctor locks the door. They run down a corridor to where the girls are lying. As they arrive, they change back into humans.)

DOCTOR: We must have stopped the process before the final transformation was complete. Without final phase bombardment, their bodily metabolism is reasserting itself. The guards must return soon. You said there's supposed to be an escape exit?
JONDAR: On the other side of the dome, but to reach it from here is impossible.
DOCTOR: Not now. The odds are unpredictable. With the Control centre damaged we may yet have an outside chance. We must move on.
JONDAR: What, leave them here?
DOCTOR: No, take them with us.

(They release the girls, who are still unconscious.)

DOCTOR: Peri! Peri, can you hear me?
JONDAR: Areta! Areta!
DOCTOR: Can you move, Peri? Try! You are Peri. Peri.
PERI: Peri?
DOCTOR: I am the Doctor and you are Peri. Perpugilliam Brown.
PERI: Peri.
DOCTOR: It's a question of re-imprinting their identities, of establishing again who they are.
JONDAR: Wake up, Areta. Come on!
DOCTOR: Can you walk, Peri? Come on, try.

(Jondar carries Areta.)

PERI: I thought I could fly.
DOCTOR: Yes, but walking is all that's required for now. Come on, Peri. Walk.

[Arak and Etta's rooms]

(They are watching guards and patrol cars zooming up and down corridors.)

ARAK: What is going on? Boring scenes for hours, now this. Somebody wants shooting.
ETTA: They know what they're doing.
ARAK: They don't know what's what any more than you or that Governor do. It's rubbish. Gibberish. You'd watch anything, you would.
ETTA: I wouldn't watch you.

[Control area]

QUILLAM: There's no control. All maintenance reports confirm the attack damaged a large number of operating circuits. The effects are impossible to control.
CHIEF: Why not shut off all the power?
QUILLAM: And allow every prisoner in the dome to escape, including this Doctor? Oh no, I want them delivered to me.
CHIEF: The screens are still showing scenes from the Punishment Dome.
QUILLAM: And they'll continue to do so. It's the only way we have of assessing the effects of the damage done.
CHIEF: But all of Varos can witness the confusion.
QUILLAM: All they'll see is spectacle. Bizarre happenings, strange sights, and think we've organised them. They'll see rebels surprised and overcome, and they'll be entertained long enough to allow us to repair the damage here and regain control.
CHIEF: This Doctor must be eliminated. He smells the truth of things.
QUILLAM: The dome will take care of him.

[Punishment dome]

(A patrol car has been left unattended. The Doctor and Jondar leave Areta and Peri sitting round the corner while they try to hot-wire it.)

PERI: Doctor?

(Guards appear, and Jondar shoots at them.)

DOCTOR: Cover me. I'll get the girls.

(The Doctor drives the car forward to the junction.)

DOCTOR: Areta! Where's Peri? Where's Peri gone, Areta?

(He helps her into the car while Jondar keeps the guards back, then reverses up to him.)

DOCTOR: Quick, Jondar!

(Jondar gets on the back and exchanges shots with the guards as they drive off. A lucky shot knocks the gun out of Jondar's hand as they round the corner.)

[Arak and Etta's rooms]

ARAK: That's more like it.
ETTA: I thought he was dead.
ARAK: No. Pay attention.

[Governor's office]

SIL: My insulted person can stand no more! Either you sign the newly agreed price for the zeiton ore, or I will leave you and the Varosian to starve on this miserablest of planets, with nothing to eat except unsold zeitony.
GOVERNOR: You are in no position to threaten me now.

(The Chief Officer and guards bring Peri in.)

CHIEF: Found wandering near Prison Control. I brought her here to display as evidence before the people.
GOVERNOR: I will decide when and if I broadcast.
CHIEF: Not any more.

(The Chief snaps his fingers, and Maldak points his weapon at the Governor as the Chief settles into the Governor's chair.)

CHIEF: The regulations have a clause for just the situation that we are in now. At the end of every Governor's term there comes a time of disapproval, where the people tire of his incompetence. The wish to vote him down.
GOVERNOR: The wish to see all the cells of his body destroyed.
CHIEF: When the final vote is avoided, the Chief Officer is empowered to insist on a final vote. You must accept full responsibility for failing to quell the prison rebellion led by this woman and her companion, the Doctor. Prepare for your final broadcast, Governor.

(Sil is wheeled past, gurgling with delight, as the Chief gets up and the Governor takes his seat. Dax brings in a camera.)

[Corridor]

DOCTOR: We must find Peri.
JONDAR: She could be anywhere.

[Governor's office]

(Peri stands next to the Governor while Maldak keeps them both covered with his weapon.)

GOVERNOR: Here we will die, as have so many Governors. The Chief will broadcast first. Anything I say after that will seem like bluster and lies.
PERI: Can I speak? Can I say what I know?
GOVERNOR: The ramblings of someone deranged by the transmogrification process.
PERI: But I'm fine now.
GOVERNOR: We have no hope.
PERI: How long?
GOVERNOR: As soon as the Chief assembles the Officer Guard. The regulations insist that the twelve most senior officers place their names in hazard. The Chief draws a name and the unlucky winner is brought in here and forced to govern.
PERI: In fear of suffering the same death
GOVERNOR: Yes. The theory being that a man scared for his life will find solutions to this planet's problems, except the poor unfortunate will discover there are no popular solutions to the difficulties he will find waiting for him here.
PERI: It's crazy. Cruel.
GOVERNOR: It's Varos. Maldak, isn't it?
MALDAK: Yes, sir.
GOVERNOR: Put your gun down. I have no intention of trying to escape.
MALDAK: Can't do that, sir.
GOVERNOR: Weren't you elected to the Officer Guard when my name was drawn as Governor?
MALDAK: Correct, sir.
GOVERNOR: Might I ask one favour? Let the girl go free.
MALDAK: I can't do that, sir.
GOVERNOR: You know that soon I will be destroyed. Soon a new Governor will be elected.
MALDAK: That is the custom, sir.
GOVERNOR: What if the name they draw is yours? You've witnessed how impossible the system is. You're an intelligent man. The regulations are archaic, distorted, unworkable. Even if you're not chosen, an enquiry will be called. New Governors always have enquiries. It was you, wasn't it, who showed the Doctor and the rebel Jondar where the women were held captive.
MALDAK: I couldn't help that, sir.
GOVERNOR: They'll say you should have resisted.
MALDAK: Just what is it that you want?
GOVERNOR: For you to turn your back, let us go, find the Doctor who has words and perhaps knowledge which might bring salvation to everyone, except the Chief and his cronies.
MALDAK: No, sir, I can't do that.
GOVERNOR: And Peri.
MALDAK: No, sir. I'm sorry.
GOVERNOR: At least, when the vote goes against me, and the human cell disintegrator beams pour down, kill Peri, please, to spare her from the rehabilitators.

(No reply.)

GOVERNOR: I tried. We will die together.

[Corridor]

(The patrol car dies in its tracks.)

JONDAR: It's no good.
DOCTOR: Where are we?
JONDAR: I don't know.
DOCTOR: I wonder why we've been allowed to progress so far into the dome without being apprehended?
ARETA: This whole place is cracking up. The guards must be as confused as we are.
JONDAR: I think we're into what they call the endgame. Not many trialists reach this stage.
DOCTOR: Could that be where the escape exit would be?
JONDAR: Presumably.
DOCTOR: What are we waiting for? I must be cautious. From now on, I believe the mind games and jolly tricks are over. What we're entering now could be the area of most dangerous ordeal.

[Arak and Etta's rooms]

CHIEF [on screen]: This is a forced vote. I have explained my actions. The Governor must now explain his, and then you, my fellow Varosians, must use your vote and decide.

(In the corridor, a misty green light with occasional searchlights makes the Doctor, Areta and Jondar feel very happy.)

GOVERNOR [on screen]: I have addressed you many times, and you have seen other Governors approach the ultimate crisis point of their regime. The time of forced vote now is upon me. I am not afraid to die.
ARAK: Good.

(Arak presses both No buttons.)

ETTA: Hey!

[Governor's office]

(The Governor's arms are clamped to his chair. Peri backs away as the green light begins its deadly work. The Governor makes his final statement in great pain.)

GOVERNOR: Your system is wrong. We sell ourselves cheaply for nothing to such as Sil and his like. I see my words mean nothing, that you all wish the harsh system of Varos to continue. So be it.
PERI: Isn't there anything I can do?
GOVERNOR: No.

(Maldak shoots out the beam projector and the green light disappears.)

[Arak and Etta's rooms]

(Arak tries pressing the Vote No buttons again.)

ETTA: No! You've messed up the whole system. They'll be coming round for you. Voting twice, and using someone else's voting box? Both criminal offences.

[Governor's office]

PERI: We must find the Doctor.
MALDAK: He's in the End Zone.
GOVERNOR: He must be seeking the safe exit.
PERI: Well, let's go there, then.
GOVERNOR: Not that way. There has to be another route.
MALDAK: There is. The ventilation ducting.
GOVERNOR: There's an outlet here.
MALDAK: I once spent eight days down there searching for escaped prisoners. I know it only too well.
PERI: Come on, then.

[End Zone]

(The blissed out trio see themselves beckoning them on. They start to follow.)

DOCTOR: No! Be gone. You are shadows, insubstantial ghosts. We are real, you are not.

(The images disappear. Jondar steps forward but the Doctor stops him. There is a deep pit of something very nasty bubbling in front of them.)

DOCTOR: I think perhaps we should try another route.

[Control area]

(The Chief Office and Quillam enter.)

SIL: Where is Governor? Why is he still at life and liberty? Why is everything no longer as it was?
CHIEF: We are still the power.
SIL: Why not you both prove it?

[End Zone]

(The Doctor, Areta and Jondar find a fresh body in the corridor.)

ARETA: What did he die from?
DOCTOR: I don't know. His neck's swollen as if to burst. Poison, perhaps?
JONDAR: Did he take it, or been given it?
ARETA: Doctor!

(The two emaciated men in loincloths leap in behind them, growling.)

JONDAR: Fellow prisoners.
DOCTOR: This is no time for speeches, Jondar.
ARETA: What shall we do?
DOCTOR: Run.

(The chase begins. Meanwhile, Maldak leads Peri and the Governor through the ventilation ducts, which are big enough for them just to have to stoop a bit.)

DOCTOR: Stop, Areta!

(Areta stops just short of an area draped with foliage.)

DOCTOR: If you value your lives, don't touch those tendrils. In, but don't allow one touch.

(They climb over the small wall and go inside. Their pursuers stop.)

JONDAR: What do they want? Why do they want us?
DOCTOR: I noticed a pile of bones back there. I think we were on their dinner menu.

(One of the cannibals touches a tendril and collapses. His friend drags him away as our heroes make their way further into the area. There is a distant hum of an electric motor.)

JONDAR: Shush. Patrol car.
ARETA: We're trapped.
JONDAR: What do we do?
DOCTOR: The best we can. Do you think you could attach this string to that clump of vines without killing yourself?

(Jondar does as Peri, Maldak and the Governor leave the ducts for a corridor. The Chief Officer and Quillam are driven up to the Doctor, Areta and Jondar by two guards.)

QUILLAM: I see you have a keen interest in the flora of Varos, Doctor.
DOCTOR: Just a passing fancy.
CHIEF: It'll pass faster than you think. Kill them!
QUILLAM: Wait. This man has insulted me. He must suffer for my humiliation.
CHIEF: This is no time for revenge. Kill them quickly!

(The camera on the wall follows the Chief and Quillam as they move towards the fringe of vines.)

QUILLAM: And deprive Varos of an example of how traitors are dealt with? The cameras are still functioning. Let the show begin. I want to hear them scream till I am deaf with pleasure. To see their limbs twist in excruciating agony. Ultimately their blood must gush and flow along the gutters of Varos. The whole planet must delight in their torture and death.
DOCTOR: An excellent scenario. Not mad about the part.
QUILLAM: Proceed!
DOCTOR: Now!

(Jondar pulls the string hard and releases the vines that were tied up out of sight. They swing forward and get both Quillam and the Chief Officer, and the two guards in the face and neck. They die quickly but noisily.)

DOCTOR: Let's get away from here.

(The Doctor leads Areta and Jondar back to where they entered the area of vines. Maldak, Peri and the Governor run up.)

DOCTOR: Stay where you are! Don't move!
PERI: What is it?
DOCTOR: Poison. One touch and (slit throat gesture.)
PERI: Poison ivy?
DOCTOR: Something like that.

(He rolls over the low wall to safety.)

DOCTOR: It'd give you a very nasty rash.
PERI: Oh, Doctor.

[Control area]

(Sil is using the communications system.)

SIL: Plenipotentiary Sil to Galatron Occupation Force Commander. Urgent need for instant invasion of planet Varos to consolidate our interest. React immediately!

(Invasion proceeding, await further report comes up on the screen.)

SIL: Water me. I must look my best to assume the emperorship of this primitive planet.

(A slave hoses Sil down.)

SIL: Gently, gently. Take extreme care with my person if you wish to retain your skins. Ah, that's better. Mirror, mirror, mirror. Come on, mirror! Mirror! Oh yes, I will wear the mantle of power so, so handsomely.

(The Governor enters, followed by the Doctor, Peri and Maldak.)

SIL: Ah, there you are. I called you here to inform you that a force of invasion is about to land.
DOCTOR: Really? From where?
SIL: My home planet. From Thoros Beta. You had innumerable chances to settle with me, Governor. Now your people will work for me. I will be Governor of Governors. I will be Viceroy of Varos. The confirmation of my colonisation force.

(The Governor reads the new text on the screens.)

GOVERNOR: Report of zeiton-7 traces found on asteroid Biosculptor. Invasion of Varos cancelled.
SIL: Argh!
DOCTOR: The ways of the ruler are fraught with uncertainty, are they not, Sil?
SIL: Certainly. Certainly.
GOVERNOR: There's more. New supplies of zeiton-7 required urgently. Start shipments immediately. Pay any price asked by Varosians. Well, shall we commence negotiations from a reasonable base?
SIL: Of what? Of what?
GOVERNOR: Twenty credits per unit.
SIL: Twenty? Twenty? Argh!
DOCTOR: I think he needs more than water, Peri, eh?

(Groan, Perrier...)

PERI: Like cyanide.
DOCTOR: Oh come, Peri, where's your sense of justice?
PERI: What about that transmogrifier thing he put me in?
DOCTOR: I think we'll leave the Varosians to work out their own idea of justice, Peri.
GOVERNOR: I'm very grateful, Doctor. Varos is grateful. Is there nothing we can offer you in return?
DOCTOR: Well, er, a little zeiton-7 would be quite useful, not to say essential.
GOVERNOR: You shall have as much as you need. Maldak will arrange it.
DOCTOR: Thank you. Goodbye.

(The Doctor holds out his hand. The Governor catches on quickly.)

GOVERNOR: Ah, goodbye. Goodbye.

(He shakes hands with Peri.)

PERI: Goodbye.
SIL: You can't leave me here!
DOCTOR: Now you see me.
SIL: Argh!

[Arak and Etta's rooms]

GOVERNOR [on screen]: And that, fellow citizens of Varos, is my vowed intention. For without justice and peace and tolerance, we have no future. I know you will all work as hard as I shall for a glorious tomorrow. Thank you for allowing me into your homes. Thank you.
ARAK: No more executions, torture, nothing.
ETTA: It's all changed. We're free.
ARAK: Are we?
ETTA: Yes.
ARAK: What shall we do?
ETTA: Dunno.

(The screen just shows static for the first time.)

[TARDIS]

DOCTOR: The orthoganal readings haven't altered. Good. Splendid new elements on linings on the orbital transmission, thanks to the Governor's generous supply of zeiton-7. Still, now the whole of Varos knows it's more precious than gold, you can understand their generosity, I suppose.
PERI: Doctor, you're sure the TARDIS will function properly?
DOCTOR: Oh yes, absolutely. Disappointed?
PERI: You think I'm crazy?
DOCTOR: You all right?
PERI: Apart from the residual side effects of fowl pest, I feel fine.
DOCTOR: As long as you stay away from millet and cuttlefish.

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.

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