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DOCTOR WHO
THE HAND OF FEAR

Written by
Bob Baker and Dave Martin

Part One

[INT. Dome on Kastria]

(We see an establishing shot of a spaceship travelling through the stars, then the winds whipping past a triangular-panelled dome set amongst rocks jutting from a barren frosty landscape.)
ROKON [OC]: Eldrad, the traitor, destroyer of the barriers, sentenced to obliteration. Eldrad.
(Inside, as the winds howl, a figure with a padded white robe and high hood operates some controls and wipes frost from the window beyond. We then see a seated figure in an off-white robe.)
ROKON [OC]: Command to Dome Six. Command to Dome Six.
(The white-robed figure enters the room and takes the shoulder of the seated figure, who crumples to the ground.)
ROKON [OC]: Central Command to Outer Dome Six, report. Module status report immediately, Technic Obarl. Technic Obarl? Technic Obarl, report!
ZAZZKA: Commander Zazzka here. Technic Obarl no longer operational. Orb temperature continues to fall.
ROKON [OC]: Report module status, immediately.
ZAZZKA: Obliteration module on course and normal function. Now nineteen spans into mission.
ROKON [OC]: Computed time to detonation?
ZAZZKA: Obliteration module will reach designated detonation point beyond all solar systems in six spans, approximate.
ROKON [OC]: Commander Zazzka, what is the barrier condition?
ZAZZKA: Deteriorating.
ROKON [OC]: The north has already fallen. When the south barrier collapses, temperature loss will intensify.
ZAZZKA: Then surface operations will no longer be possible!
ROKON [OC]: Confirmed. These are new orders. The module is to be triggered now, before control is lost completely.
ZAZZKA: (walking back and forth between control panels white with frost, making checks) But King Rokon, Sire, total obliteration of the traitor Eldrad was ordered.
ROKON [OC]: Yes, yes.
ZAZZKA: Computations indicate that at nineteen spans there is still a one in three million chance of particle survival.
ROKON [OC]: We have no choice, Zazzka! Carry out new orders.
ZAZZKA: Affirmative.
(He presses a large button on the panel before him, and we see the spaceship explode, then disappear from Zazzka's monitor.)
ZAZZKA: Obliteration module destroyed. Awaiting further orders.
ROKON [OC]: (subdued) Evacuate observation dome. Immediate.
(ZAZZKA struggles to heft the body of Obarl, dragging it from the room. From outside, we see the light within the dome die.)

[EXT. Quarry]

(Far away, on Earth, men in hard hats are getting ready to perform a round of blasting. The charges are wired up as warning sirens sound, and the men walk away. This is where the TARDIS materialises. As the DOCTOR steps out, someone strips a pair of wires and attaches them to the detonator.)
SARAH: (who has emerged from the TARDIS in a tomboyish get-up) Listen, I don't want to make any snap decisions, but this isn't South Croydon.
DOCTOR: What? I can't hear you for the siren.
SARAH: This isn't South Croydon!
DOCTOR: All right, there's no need to shout. Hold this. (He hands her his coat.)
SARAH: Wha-
DOCTOR: Now watch.
(He hurls a stone with gusto at a larger rock and thereby knocks it over. SARAH claps briefly.)
SARAH: Good for you.
DOCTOR: Is it nice in South Croydon?
SARAH: What? It's a paradise compared to this dump. I bet we're not even on Earth.
DOCTOR: Well, maybe the season hasn't started yet.
SARAH: What?
DOCTOR: Do you have a season in South Croydon?
SARAH: Come on, where are we?
DOCTOR: We're in a quarry. (He throws another stone.)
SARAH: Yes, I know we're in a quarry, but where?
DOCTOR: Well, how do I know? I don't know all the quarries that-
(He stops, bringing her up short. He points to a figure waving frantically from the ridge high above.)
DOCTOR: Maybe he knows.
ABBOTT: (the man in question) Get out of it! Go on, get out of it! Quick! Get out of the way!
(The detonator plunger is raised.)
ABBOTT: No, Mike! Mike, no!
DOCTOR: Maybe he knows South Croydon. Does he look as if he comes from South Croy-
SARAH: What? Siren! Run, Doctor!
(The wall of the quarry explodes. While the blasting siren wails, ABBOTT runs down. As the smoke clears, the DOCTOR emerges from behind a large chunk of rock.)
ABBOTT: How the blazes did you get in here?
DOCTOR: What?
ABBOTT: Didn't you see the signs, the flags? Well, you must have heard the hooter. Are you all right?
(The DOCTOR surveys his surroundings, with their many small bits of rock.)
DOCTOR: My friend's under that.
ABBOTT: (as another worker runs onto the spot) Oi, you lot! Get down here! And get an ambulance!
(As they approach, the DOCTOR spots his coat beneath some rubble.)
ABBOTT: Look, I don't want to sound heartless, but, well, I'm not taking responsibility. You had no right in here.
(As the ambulance approaches, SARAH awakens. She is in a hollow area beneath a slab of rock. She hears indistinct voices. Nearer the camera is what appears to be a stone right hand with the ring finger missing and a black ring on the little finger.)
SARAH: Ow. Ow. I can't move. Doctor! Doctor, please, help. Doc.
(She reaches toward the light, and us. Grasping the stone hand, she shrieks. It comes free as we cut.)
QUARRYMAN: I think she's over here.
DOCTOR: Steady, steady. (looking into a small gap between the rocks) She's here! Now, gently, gently.
(The workers lift the slab away. The ambulance siren gets nearer.)
ABBOTT: Mind how you go. Could be something else down there.
QUARRYMAN: Keep it coming. Here we are, that does it.
(The DOCTOR lifts SARAH out, sets her on a flat section of rock, and starts checking her vital signs.)
ABBOTT: Is she all right?
DOCTOR: She's still breathing.
ABBOTT: What?
DOCTOR: (sounding annoyed) I said 'she's still breathing'.
(Two MEN bring a stretcher in, and he and ABBOTT place her on it.)
ABBOTT: (seeing the stone hand that SARAH has in her grip) What on Earth? She won't let it go.
DOCTOR: Never mind about that. Get her off to the hospital, and quick. Come on.
(The stretcher is carried away.)
ABBOTT: You ought to get yourself seen to, mate.
DOCTOR: Yeah. I'll talk to you later.

[INT. Hospital]

(A bearded MEDIC with an Indian accent is palpating the DOCTOR's arm.)
DOCTOR: (when his wrist is touched) Ow!
MEDIC: Did that hurt?
DOCTOR: Oh, no, no.
MEDIC: Wonderful thing, pain. Without pain, no race could survive.
DOCTOR: I'm well aware of that.
MEDIC: Autonomic defence mechanism.
DOCTOR: Yes. Tell me, how's Miss Smith? Sarah Jane Smith. We came in together.
MEDIC: She is still unconscious, but there's no need to worry. We have found no serious physical injury.
DOCTOR: Paralepsis?[?]
MEDIC: Not as far as I know. You are a doctor yourself?
DOCTOR: Well, sort of, yes.
MEDIC: How do you do?
(He shakes the injured hand. The DOCTOR is withdrawn and doesn't really react to this.)
MEDIC: Tell me, where did you qualify, if I may ask?
DOCTOR: A place called Gallifrey.
MEDIC: Gallifrey? No, I've not heard of it. Perhaps it's in Ireland.
DOCTOR: Probably. Look, could I see Miss Smith, please?
MEDIC: I'd like you to take a look at Miss Smith.

[INT. Hospital bedroom]

(SARAH is in the bed.)
MEDIC: Thank you, nurse. (the NURSE steps into the corner, and he looks into her eyes) She is still in shock. She's not under sedation. We gave her just a simple anti-tetanus.
DOCTOR: Anti-tetanus?
MEDIC: Yes. If you care to examine your friend's left hand and forearm, you will find there's considerable muscular contraction.
DOCTOR: Yes, you're right. Solid as a rock.
MEDIC: Just in the hand and forearm. Perhaps it's a psychological reaction to stress and the object to which she was holding on to.
DOCTOR: Did you see it?
MEDIC: No. It was sent direct to Doctor Carter in the path lab. Our concern here is with the living.
DOCTOR: Hmm. Where is the path lab?
MEDIC: Just follow the signs saying 'Pathology'.
DOCTOR: Will you let me know when she comes round, please?
MEDIC: Right.

[INT. Hospital pathology lab]

CARTER: Histology, that's what you need.
DOCTOR: What do you think of these plates, Doctor? (He is looking at x-ray film of the stone hand.)
CARTER: Oh, not much. There's no tissue differentiation. No blood, no muscle. No indication of any living organism whatsoever. You see, you usually get some idea of structure from a fossil, but with this, hmm, there's nothing. Ah, now look at this.
(He has a microscope that projects the image of the slide onto a screen. On the screen is a crystalline structure.)
DOCTOR: Yes, it's beautiful.
CARTER: Yes, but it has nothing to do with clinical pathology.
DOCTOR: Does that crystalline lattice remind you of anything?
CARTER: It's geodetic, that's about all. As I say, what you need is an histologist or a geologist.
DOCTOR: It's silicon-based.
CARTER: I'm sorry?
DOCTOR: Well, so how many living forms do you know with a silicon-based molecular infrastructure?
CARTER: None. If it was, it would be made of stone. (laughs wryly) Oh, I think this is some kind of elaborate hoax. Always dreaming up something, you know, students.
DOCTOR: Have we got access to an electron microscope, Doctor?
CARTER: Why, what do you think it is?
DOCTOR: I don't know yet, but it's no hoax, Doctor Carter.

[INT. Hospital - Sarah's room]

(The MEDIC checks SARAH's pulse and places her clenched fist across her chest. He leaves. Her eyes open, and she opens her hand. Within it is the ring from the stone hand. We see the stone from it emit a blue glow for a moment. SARAH quickly rises.)

[INT. Hospital pathology lab]

CARTER: Great Scott! You must have pulled a few strings to get hold of this. Virology usually hangs on to it like grim death. What did you tell them?
DOCTOR: (as he hooks up the electron microscope) I said we were investigating certain extraterrestrial possibilities.
CARTER: Such as?
DOCTOR: Such as viral infection on this planet.
CARTER: You're not serious, are you?
DOCTOR: Yes. I admit it's a fairly remote possibility. Viruses can survive, though not for a hundred and fifty million years, as far as we know. Now this thing was found embedded in a stratum of blackstone dolomite.
CARTER: What?
DOCTOR: Jurassic limestone.
CARTER: You mean it's been there for a hundred and fifty million years?
DOCTOR: Yes.
CARTER: How did it get there? Man didn't exist in Jurassic times.
DOCTOR: That's true. Would you prepare me another slide, please?
CARTER: Oh, sure.
DOCTOR: I think the answer might lie in the quarry.
CARTER: Well, good luck.
(The DOCTOR leaves the room as CARTER starts to take a small sample.
We see SARAH creep to her door, open it a crack, and close it again. The DOCTOR reaches her room, flips the sign on the door to 'PATIENT NOT TO BE DISTURBED', and goes on his way. SARAH leaves the room and follows the signs for the pathology lab. There, CARTER places the sample into the microscope unit and moves some controls. He hears a noise, turns, and sees SARAH - who has just placed the hand into a box.)
CARTER: What the devil do you think you're-! Miss Smith! Are you feeling better?
SARAH: Eldrad. Eldrad must live.
(She now has the ring on her finger and raises her hand, with the stone facing CARTER. Blue light stretches outward and engulfs him, He sinks slowly to the floor.)
WOMAN [OC]: It is his will that all shall obey. None must interfere.
(SARAH picks up the plastic box with the hand inside and walks from the room.)

[EXT. Quarry]

ABBOTT: Yeah, well, this is the stratum it came from, here.
DOCTOR: Did you find anything else in the rubble?
ABBOTT: If there was anything else, it must've been here a hundred and fifty million years. We often get ammonite shells and things, but-
DOCTOR: Any plastic?
ABBOTT: Plastic?
DOCTOR: Yes, plastic.
ABBOTT: You're joking.
DOCTOR: No. Spaceships can be made of plastic, ceramic, metal.
ABBOTT: A spaceship all that time ago?
DOCTOR: Yes. Life forms don't all exist at the same time, you know.
ABBOTT: So you reckon this fellow copped it in a crash, like?
DOCTOR: Unless, of course, it just came fluttering down, by itself. But why? And from where?
ABBOTT: Yeah. Well, I'll let you get on with it then, eh? (He leaves.)
DOCTOR: Yes. And where was it going?

[INT. Hospital pathology lab]

(CARTER stands, puts his hand to his head, and notices that the fossil hand isn't there anymore.)
CARTER: (on the telephone) Reception? Doctor Carter here. Now listen. The dark-haired young woman wearing some pink-striped overalls-. Yes, pink-striped overalls. Yes, just like Andy Pandy. Well, she's on her way out. She's stolen something from my lab. Well, hold her, will you, and call the police. What do you mean she left an hour ago? Why, it's only just a few. (checking the time) Good grief.
(We cut to the DOCTOR, as he reaches Sarah's room. He knocks, then enters. Looking about, he sees no Sarah. The bed has been stripped, and the wardrobe is empty.)
CARTER: Right. Thank you. (He returns the receiver to its cradle.)
DOCTOR: Carter, you haven't seen Miss Smith, have you?
CARTER: Yes, I have!
DOCTOR: Good. Where?
CARTER: Tell me, does she normally go around knocking people out?
DOCTOR: Eh? What do you mean?
CARTER: Well, she was standing over there, and when I spoke to her she turned round, said something like somebody must live, then there was a flash and I- I don't remember anything else. But she's stolen the hand.
DOCTOR: What? You mean she hit you?
CARTER: Well, I suppose she must have done. I've been on to Reception. They're looking for her.
DOCTOR: Yes, of course. Yes...
CARTER: Did you find anything at the quarry?
DOCTOR: What?
CARTER: Did you find anything at the quarry?
DOCTOR: No, no, negative evidence. No fragments, which means whatever it was didn't crash. (sitting at Carter's light microscope) But we can see from the fracture lines on this sample there was an explosion.
CARTER: If there was an explosion it was millions of years ago.
DOCTOR: Yes, and probably millions of miles away. Intriguing, isn't it?
CARTER: Yes, but it still doesn't explain why your Miss Smith should want it, does it?
DOCTOR: Perhaps it wanted Miss Smith.
CARTER: What?
DOCTOR: Well, she's the only human being to have had any contact with it for any length of time. Probably the only living organism to have had any contact with it since the event.
CARTER: It was petrified. Totally inert. Dead.
DOCTOR: Inert, yes. Dead, maybe not.
CARTER: I thought there was a strange type of subatomic structure to the crystal formation. A bit like a double helix, you know. DNA molecule.
(He sits at the electron microscope.)
CARTER: Great Scott!
DOCTOR: What is it?
CARTER: It's changed.
DOCTOR: Eh?
CARTER: What's happened to the electron charge?
DOCTOR: You mean it didn't look like that before?
CARTER: No.
DOCTOR: (walking around the room while CARTER studies the results) You know what I think?
CARTER: What?
DOCTOR: I think your sample's been quietly absorbing radiation from the machine.
CARTER: Absorbing radiation?
DOCTOR: Yes. Regenerating itself. Let's hope it hasn't absorbed enough to be dangerous. Put it somewhere safe, Carter, away from any further radiation.
CARTER: Right. Will do. (The DOCTOR leaves.)
DOCTOR: (returning) Carter!!
CARTER: What?
DOCTOR: Where's the nearest nuclear reactor?

[INT. Nunton nuclear power complex]

(We see a lorry approach and the barrier rise for it. In its mirror, SARAH walks down the road, carrying the hand. She passes a sign reading 'NOTICE:  VEHICLES ENTERING OR LEAVING THIS SITE ARE LIABLE TO BE SEARCHED', then one saying 'NUNTON COMPLEX RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT - No Unauthorised Entry', before a fence. A GUARD steps out from his station, and SARAH uses the ring on him. She keeps walking.
Meanwhile, a car approaches and signals. It is CARTER, with the DOCTOR as his passenger.
We then see SARAH walk through the generator hall and through a door for the radiation zone marked Section R1.
Not long after she enters Section R2, the DOCTOR exits Carter's car and checks on the fallen gate guard. The DOCTOR opens the barrier and is halfway inside the car again as other GUARDS sprint up.)
GUARD: Stop or we fire.
(SARAH has reached Section R3, down a metal staircase. She is creeping about but is seen by a white-suited TECHNICIAN.)
TECH: Hey, miss!
(She holds out her palm, and the TECHNICIAN falls. She enters R4 and continues on, past contamination zone C3 and to a door marked 'RADIOACTIVE SOURCE EXPOSED: DO NOT ENTER'. She starts opening the door. Klaxons sound.)
MAN [OC]: (tannoy) Emergency, emergency. All personnel proceed immediately to your safe areas. Proceed immediately to your safe areas. This is not an exercise.
(SARAH sits down, knees up, and opens the box.)
MAN [OC]: (tannoy) Repeat, this is not an exercise. I will repeat that. Emergency, emergency. All personnel proceed immediately to your safe areas. Proceed immediately to your safe areas. This is not an exercise. Repeat...
(The hand is changing. It is gaining more substance and blackish crystalline flesh. The missing finger becomes fully present, and then the fingers twitch and flex.)

The above notes, transcription, etc. by Anna Shefl

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