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DOCTOR WHO
THE SUNMAKERS
Written by
Robert Holmes
Part Two
(Overlap from the Doctor checking his pockets)
[INT. Corridor]
(The DOCTOR sinks to the ground in the cubicle, and the fidgety CORDO retreats, running back around the corner. Someone is coming, so he stops retracing his steps and ducks out of sight in a side passage just as four grey-uniformed MEN with a gurney walk to the cubicle. They release the gas and open the door. When it has opened fully, they lay the largely inert DOCTOR on the gurney and wheel him off.)
[INT. Undercity]
(MANDRELL is staring into the flame. The candle is nearly down to the marker.)
MANDRELL: Your friend the Doctor, he'd better hurry.
VEET: Mandrell, when you kill her, don't damage her too much.
MANDRELL: Oh, what a tender heart, Veet.
VEET: I want those skins.
MANDRELL: See how she begs for a gentle death for you? So full of love and compassion.
LEELA: Before I die, I'll see this rat hole ankle-deep in blood. That is a promised thing.
GOUDRY: By the Company, if Mandrell orders her killed, I won't be the first man on his feet.
[INT. Collector's office]
(A bald-headed man in a suit is hunched over a desk. A printout is right in front of his eyeballs, and next to it is a keypad with some of the buttons illuminated. As he reads, he pushes a big red button on the edge of his desk and presses some other buttons. HADE enters this beep-ridden room, and the man still doesn't look up.)
HADE: (bowing) Your Highest, a thousand apologies for this intrusion.
COLLECTOR: (in a nasal, nearly robotic tone) Don't delay me, Hade. Time is money.
HADE: Ah, w-ah, what a great truth, your Sublimity. A pearl of wisdom.
COLLECTOR: Get to the point.
HADE: I've grounds for believing, your Eminence, that there is a conspiracy among dissident Ajacks to foment armed rebellion against the Company, glory be to the Company.
COLLECTOR: (looking up) Interesting. What exactly do you know, Hade?
(This small, grey man with big black eyebrows is now paying attention to HADE.)
[INT. Correction Centre, Induction Therapy]
(The DOCTOR's cheek is on a cot, and he is wearing a straitjacket. We hear rhythmic whistling sounds, from someone snoring. He sits up, and the man on the next cot over addresses him.)
BISHAM: Don't try to speak yet, my friend. Valerium gas affects the throat.
DOCTOR: Where?
BISHAM: Where are you? You're in the Correction Centre. This is the Induction Therapy section. That means they sensitise areas of the brain and clear the neural pathways so that when we arrive in Physical, we feel the full benefit. It intensifies pain a thousand times.
(With a great cry and a burst of effort, the DOCTOR heaves himself into a sitting position.)
DOCTOR: How long have I been here?
BISHAM: Well, they brought you in just as the trumpets were sounding second work shift, about an hour ago.
DOCTOR: An hour. (he falls back to the bed) Thank you.
BISHAM: It's a pleasure.
[INT. Undercity]
MANDRELL: Your time's up, girl. (pinching out the flame) Seize her.
(LEELA readies for action. One man approaches her, and she throws him across the room.)
LEELA: The next one dies.
MANDRELL: Take her, you cowardly scabs! (standing) Must I do it myself?
LEELA: Oh, try, Mandrell! Prove you have a heart as big as your mouth!
VEET: Mandrell! Wait a minute. Give the Doctor some more time.
GOUDRY: It's possible that D-grade Cordo took the wrong subway. (laughing nervously) He's not too smart.
MANDRELL: You craven-gutted factory fodder. Are you frightened of a half-grown girl? Oh, come on.
GOUDRY: Careful, Mandrell.
(LEELA manages to evade MANDRELL's clumsy efforts with his whip handle. They are struggling, with various cries, including a 'Steady!' and VEET shouting 'Stop it!', as CORDO runs in.)
CORDO: The Doctor!
MANDRELL: What?
CORDO: They've got him!
LEELA: What do you mean?
VEET: How did they get him?
CORDO: At the ConSum Bank. Something went wrong. I don't know, maybe it was the card.
MANDRELL: (grabbing VEET by the arm) Veet!
VEET: The card was perfect!
CORDO: Well, the alarm blew as soon as he got in there. He didn't stand a chance. I had to run.
VEET: (shaking MANDRELL off) It must have been the Doctor's fault. The card had never been used.
LEELA: Where's the Doctor now, Cordo?
CORDO: Security picked him up there right away. They must have been cruising that section.
LEELA: What will they do to him?
GOUDRY: Oh, he'll be in the Correction Centre by now.
LEELA: What?
GOUDRY: They don't waste time.
VEET: Not when it's frauding the ConSum Bank.
MANDRELL: That's high crime.
VEET: He'll get maximum.
LEELA: Maximum what?
VEET: Correction, of course. That's what the centre's for, correcting people. He won't live long after that. (She walks off with a vicious smile.)
[INT. Correction Centre, Induction Therapy]
(The DOCTOR once more manoeuvres himself to his feet.)
BISHAM: What are you doing?
DOCTOR: Going for a little hop. Good for the circulation. (leaving BISHAM's field of view) What did they get you for?
BISHAM: Curiosity.
DOCTOR: That's a crime here?
BISHAM: Yes. I was an executive-grade at the chemical plant in charge of PCM production. I got curious about some of the other products.
DOCTOR: (as he examines three coloured scales behind levers on the wall) Go on.
BISHAM: Well, there were some tablets labelled 'For Official Use Only', for the Gatherers and the other Company staff. I wondered what they were, so I took some.
DOCTOR: Ah. (He is now examining the buttons below the levers.)
BISHAM: I felt completely different, as though I'd never really been alive until then.
DOCTOR: (with one bit of the equipment held in his teeth) So you carried on taking them.
BISHAM: Of course I did. I suppose they noticed the difference in me and kept watch. The MegroGuards came for me during my last sleep time.
DOCTOR: What does 'PCM' stand for?
BISHAM: Pentocyleinic methylhydrane.
DOCTOR: (in a whisper) What?
BISHAM: You know something about chemistry?
DOCTOR: Enough to recognise an anxiety-inducing agent when I smell one.
BISHAM: No, no, it eliminates airborne infections.
DOCTOR: That's what they tell you. It also eliminates freedom.
[INT. Collector's office]
COLLECTOR: These cellar-dwellers should be erased.
HADE: Indubitably, your Elevation. It's a question of manpower. I simply haven't got sufficient staff.
COLLECTOR: It is against Company policy to give supportive aid to the civil administration. We run a purely fiscal operation.
HADE: Your Pinnacle, a five per cent increase in protection tax would repay the Company, its name be praised.
COLLECTOR: (looking up) Good thinking, Hade. You tempt me.
HADE: There is also the consideration that any sustained unrest amongst the work units could damage profitability.
COLLECTOR: Productivity-wise, I agree. An ongoing insurrectionary situation would not be acceptable to my management. This fiscal period, we're aiming for a seven per cent increase in the gross planetary product. (He hits the button, producing a comical 'bonk' noise.)
HADE: An achievable target, your Colossus, only if there is no dissention. With increased manpower, I could locate and destroy these anti-Company agents before any harm is done.
COLLECTOR: Half a division of my Inner Retinue - that's all I can spare.
HADE: I am gratified.
COLLECTOR: Also, increase the daily PCM dosage three per cent by volume as of now.
HADE: I-
COLLECTOR: This interview is terminated.
HADE: ...have the honour to remain, sir-
COLLECTOR: Seventeen. Twenty.
HADE: ...your humble and obedient servant, yours etc etc.
COLLECTOR: Twenty-two. Nineteen. Fourteen and twenty-five.
[INT. Undercity]
LEELA: What kind of men are you?
MANDRELL: The kind that want to live.
LEELA: If only six of you come with me to this Correction Centre, we can get the Doctor out.
MANDRELL: Why should we risk our necks for him?
LEELA: You sent him to the ConSum Bank, and now he's in trouble you will not even help him.
GOUDRY: There's nothing we can do.
LEELA: How do you know when you will not even try?
MANDRELL: Listen, fool, the Correction Centre is under the palace itself.
LEELA: What palace?
MANDRELL: What palace? There's only one palace.
VEET: It's where the Collector lives. They say he likes to hear the screams. That's why the centre's there.
MANDRELL: And that's why we won't raid it. Because it's guarded by his Inner Retinue and they've got things called guns. And what have we got?
LEELA: You? You have nothing, Mandrell. No pride, no courage, no manhood. Even animals protect their own. You say to me you want to live? Well, I'll say this to you. If you lie skulking in this black pit while the Doctor dies, then you will live but without honour!
MANDRELL: Someone silence the termagant. She's crazy.
LEELA: I want just six of you to come with me. Now, who amongst you is a true man? You, Goudry.
GOUDRY: Like Mandrell says, the guards are armed.
LEELA: You? Will you come?
(Those around her fix their attention elsewhere.)
LEELA: I see. Not one of you. Then I shall go alone.
CORDO: I'll come, Leela.
LEELA: You, Cordo?
CORDO: I know I'm not much help. I'm not brave, and I can't fight, but, well, at least I can show you the way.
LEELA: Cordo, you are the bravest man here. Come.
(She leads him out.)
[INT. Correction Centre, Induction Therapy]
DOCTOR: (sitting on his bed) Tell me, Bisham, how do they spread the PCM through the atmosphere?
BISHAM: It's a high-pressure system, Doctor. The PCM is volatilised through the vapour towers and the air-conditioning system.
(A GUARD walks through the area.)
DOCTOR: Mmm. I should think so too. Do you know how long we've been sitting here without any attention at all? Do you know that?
(Ignoring his question, the GUARD picks up a helmet-like piece of electronics and places it on BISHAM's head. He starts making attachments.)
DOCTOR: I said 'do you know how long we've been sitting here without any attention?' Are you deaf or something? Is he deaf or something? (The GUARD leaves.)
BISHAM: We don't count anymore. We're just material for processing.
DOCTOR: Ah. Right. I'm glad he isn't deaf.
(With a healthy shove, the GUARD gets the DOCTOR into a reclining position and begins placing a helmet affair on him.)
DOCTOR: I would have felt guilty. Don't leave it in too long - it goes frizzy.
BISHAM: I'm sorry our acquaintance was so brief, Doctor. It has been a pleasure meeting you.
(The GUARD is now at the wall and pulls two of the three levers down from the top of the scale to near the bottom.)
DOCTOR: Oh, that's all right, Bisham. We'll have another opportunity to talk. There's a lot you can tell me.
BISHAM: I'm afraid after this nobody remembers much.
(The GUARD is adjusting the levers slightly, with audible effect, and reaches for the middle one, in front of the red scale.)
DOCTOR: I wouldn't touch that if I were you. (sitting up as the GUARD ignores him) I said I wouldn't touch that if I were you.
(A shimmer of electricity outlines the GUARD as he touches the lever. There is a bang as he falls to the ground, arm still rigid. Flames can be seen through the lever tracks in the wall.)
DOCTOR: Are you sure he wasn't deaf?
[INT. Gatherer's office]
HADE: Detained? When was this? By whose order?
MARN: He was caught while frauding with a stolen ConSumCard. The MegroGuards have taken him to Correction.
HADE: Too soon, Marn, too soon. Oh, we might squeeze the names of his accomplices out of him, but if they hear he's been arrested, they'll take fright. Many of them must be executive-grades. They'll move to other megropolises. We could be years tracking them down.
MARN: He's our only lead, your Honour.
HADE: Hmmm. Have him released from Correction immediately.
MARN: What reason shall I give?
HADE: Tell them that Gatherer Hade orders the charge to be quashed.
MARN: And bring him here?
HADE: Exactly. We must lull any suspicions he may have.
[INT. Subway]
(K9 is beside the ladder. As LEELA emerges, the mechanical dog backs up and approaches her.)
LEELA: K9, what are you doing here?
K9: Waiting, Mistress.
LEELA: Waiting for what?
K9: The Doctor master ordered me to stay.
LEELA: In the TARDIS. You should not be here at all.
K9: Affirmative.
LEELA: Oh, K9, this is Cordo. Cordo, K9.
CORDO: Yes, I've seen it before. What is it?
LEELA: Well, he's a sort of... friend.
K9: Affirmative. Friend.
LEELA: K9, are your batteries fully charged?
K9: All my systems are at maximum function, Mistress.
LEELA: Then you had better come with us. I think we might be needing you.
[INT. Correction Centre, Induction Therapy]
(Two TECHNICIANS, in yellow with white vests, are at the wall, making repairs. BISHAM turns his head and looks over at the DOCTOR.)
BISHAM: I wonder how long it'll take them to fix that.
DOCTOR: Not long, I'm afraid. (to the TECHS) There's no need to hurry on our account. Take a break or something. Have a cup of t-. Have some jelly babies. There are some in my coat pocket. No? All right.
(The snoring in the background has begun again, and the TECHS quietly continue their work. MARN enters stiffly, with a grey-uniformed GUARD behind her.)
DOCTOR: Hello.
MARN: This is the one. Untie him.
(The GUARD begins doing so, none too gently.)
DOCTOR: Ah, thank you. I don't like this jacket - not very comfortable. I like a jacket with a lot of pockets, don't you? What's the next treat going to be, hmm? (he holds out his arms, and MARN pulls the jacket off fully) What's your name?
MARN: Gatherer Hade wishes to see you.
DOCTOR: Gatherer Hade?
MARN: He ordered your release.
DOCTOR: What about my chum?
MARN: Just you.
(The GUARD has the DOCTOR's coat and helps him put it on. Before leaving, he returns to BISHAM's side and places the bag of jelly babies next to his head.)
[INT. Tunnel]
(A camera looks down as CORDO and LEELA round a corner.)
CORDO: It's the next turn. About fifty yards. There's a guard on the gate.
LEELA: Just one?
CORDO: I have seen two, but normally there's just one.
LEELA: Strange. I feel fear. Why should I be frightened?
K9: There is a chemical inhibitor in the air, Mistress. I have analysed it.
LEELA: What does that mean, K9?
K9: It means you feel fear because it affects the human nervous system and debilitates the will.
LEELA: You mean there's nothing to be afraid of, just something in the air?
K9: Affirmative.
LEELA: (determined) Right. Come on.
[INT. Gatherer's office]
(HADE is pacing. When MARN smartly leads the DOCTOR into the body of the office. HADE greets him ebulliently.)
HADE: Ah, Citizen Doc-Tor. Welcome. Come in, sit down. (He places a hand on the DOCTOR's back.)
DOCTOR: Thank you.
HADE: (startling him) No, no, no. Please, please.
(Instead of where Cordo sat earlier, the DOCTOR seats himself in Hade's imposing chair.)
HADE: Yes. Citizen Doc-Tor, an unusual name.
DOCTOR: Yes, especially for an Ajack.
HADE: Indeed. There are so many Wurgs and Keeks in Megropolis 3, I sometimes wonder how my distinguished colleague, Gatherer Pile, manages to keep track of you all.
DOCTOR: Indeed. But how very clever of you to know my name.
HADE: Well, it's here, on your ConSumCard.
DOCTOR: Ah.
HADE: The cause of your unfortunate experience, of which I trust there are no ill effects?
DOCTOR: Oh no, not at all, not at all. Your guards were entirely charming, and so attentive.
HADE: I am gratified. I brought you here, Citizen Doc-Tor, first of all to give you the thousand talmars you requested-
(MARN hands the DOCTOR a pouch of money.)
HADE: And also to apologise for any inconvenience. To err is computer.
DOCTOR: To forgive is fine?
(The two men laugh.)
[INT. Outside the Correction Centre]
(A GUARD is on patrol, carrying a serious-looking weapon. At a junction where other corridors meet his route, LEELA, CORDO, and K9 cross to the side of him.)
LEELA: All right, K9. Bite.
K9: Mistress?
LEELA: Stun him.
K9: Affirmative.
(K9 heads toward the GUARD, obeying. CORDO makes as if to follow, but LEELA holds him back. She mouths an order to wait. When the GUARD turns, he sees K9 and kneels to get a better look at the metal pooch. As he puts his communicator to his mouth. K9's stun beam catches him. LEELA runs into the corridor and collects the weapon that has fallen to the floor. She and CORDO walk past the stunned man, entering the Correction Centre.)
[INT. Gatherer's office]
MARN: (with a box) Would you care for a leaf?
DOCTOR: Hmm? Oh, thank you, thank you. (he takes one) Mm. Mmmm. Rubus idaeus?
HADE: No, raspberry leaves. I have them specially imported. They contain natural chlorophyll. Very healthy.
DOCTOR: Have you ever tasted raspberry-leaf tea? Awfully good for aliments of the throat.
HADE: Is that so?
DOCTOR: Yes.
HADE: Of course, in primitive times on Old Earth, they ate prodigious quantities of vegetable matter without any apparent harm to their system.
DOCTOR: Remarkable.
HADE: Mmm. I'm quite a student of antiquity. Many people nowadays are not even aware that our species originated on Old Earth.
DOCTOR: I can hardly credit it.
HADE: It's true. They learn nothing in the preparation centres.
DOCTOR: Mind you, I've often wondered why we left Old Earth.
HADE: Ah, well, of course there is the religious view, though I've always inclined to the expansionist theory. Natural progression. Tell me, Citizen Doc-Tor, are you planning to stay long in Megropolis 1?
DOCTOR: Not long, no.
HADE: Well, while you're here, you must get about a bit. After all, it is the first and oldest city on Pluto. There's much of interest to see.
DOCTOR: Well, I shall certainly try. In fact, I shall start right now. (He jumps up from the chair.)
HADE: Oh, don't let me detain you any longer. I know you visiting executives have a very busy schedule. An agreeable meeting.
DOCTOR: Humbug? (He holds out a paper bag of sweeties.)
HADE: Oh, I am gratified.
(As HADE eats his jelly baby, the DOCTOR leaves. MARN passes him as she enters.)
MARN: The tracker system is keyed to him, your Honour.
HADE: Excellent. I think he swallowed my story of mechanical error without any suspicion.
MARN: He couldn't believe his luck. When we gave him the thousand talmars, that was a stroke of genius, your Honour.
HADE: I think it added a touch of verisimilitude. Of course, he needed the money for a reason, possibly to buy the services of that work-shy scum in the undercity.
(MARN switches on the monitor in the corner.)
HADE: Let's see where he's heading.
[INT. Correction Centre]
(K9 has moved forward and pauses in the tracking operation.)
LEELA: This door, K9?
K9: (making 'processing' sounds) Negative.
LEELA: Here, K9?
K9: Affirmative. The master passed through this entrance.
[INT. Correction Centre, Induction Therapy]
(BISHAM is again wearing a helmet. Beside his bed, a GUARD is adjusting the outer two levers as was done earlier. LEELA, K9, and CORDO reach the entrance, and LEELA shoots the GUARD. The weapon, making a powerful electronic noise, does its job. LEELA approaches the man in the bed.)
LEELA: It is not him! Guard the door, K9. Help me free this one, Cordo!
BISHAM: (now sitting up) Gratified, citizens.
LEELA: Listen. (taking the helmet off) Listen, we're looking for the Doctor.
BISHAM: You are his friends?
CORDO: Jelly babies!
LEELA: You have seen him! Where is he?
BISHAM: Yes, he was here, but they set him free.
LEELA: Who did? Where is he now?
BISHAM: I don't know. He went out with one of the Gatherer's officials.
CORDO: Leela, we should go. The longer we're here, the-
LEELA: (setting Bisham's jacket down on the bed) Yes. Check the corridor, K9.
K9: Mistress.
LEELA: (who has fetched the weapon) Are you fit enough to move?
BISHAM: Yes, yes, I think so. The treatment had only just started when you came in.
K9: Corridor clear, Mistress.
CORDO: Leela!
LEELA: You'd better come with us. Come on. (She runs back in and grabs BISHAM's arm.)
[INT. Gatherer's office]
(The DOCTOR walks briskly down a tunnel that is getting progressively darker. Every so often, he looks behind him. We see MARN and HADE watching him on their screen.)
MARN: He's returning to the undercity, your Honour. The tracker system doesn't function there.
HADE: No matter if we lose him for an hour or two underground. We can always locate him whenever he moves in the city.
MARN: But it is in the undercity, your Honour, that the rebellion is festering.
HADE: The Collector has allocated me half a division of his Inner Retinue, Marn. They'll soon deal with that leaderless rabble. I shall send one squad in through the heating conduits to force them into the open. The other section will pick 'em off as they emerge.
MARN: (sitting on the steps as HADE parades about) Your Honour is a tactical genius.
HADE: I formed the plan on my way back from the palace. I call it Morton's Fork, in honour of one of my illustrious predecessors.
MARN: Shall I alert the guards?
HADE: Not yet. Morton's Fork will stab, Marn, only when I am sure we have identified all the conspirators.
[INT. Outside the Correction Centre]
(The GUARD whom K9 stunned wakes up. He picks up his fallen communicator.)
GUARD: Emergency. Emergency. Calling all districts.
[INT. Undercity]
(The denizens of the undercity are gathered around a table, eating.)
MANDRELL: This tastes like swill. Where'd you get this garbage?
VEET: Don't you like it, Mandrell? I'll have yours.
GOUDRY: Listen.
(He rises. It is silent as the DOCTOR enters.)
DOCTOR: Suppertime? Save me some.
GOUDRY: We heard you'd been taken.
DOCTOR: Well, I was, I was, but it was all a misunderstanding. Gatherer apologised profusely. Sssh, shhh, shhhh.
(He empties the coins from the purse onto the table. The others grab at the money.)
DOCTOR: A thousand talmars.
MANDRELL: What trick's this?
DOCTOR: No trick. Gave me a raspberry leaf as well. (looking about) Where's Leela?
MANDRELL: She's gone.
DOCTOR: What?
MANDRELL: She's gone. (He and GOUDRY are picking up all the money quickly.)
GOUDRY: We heard you were in the Correction Centre. She went off with some crazy idea of getting you out.
DOCTOR: Mandrell, you made a certain threat before I left. If anything's happened to that girl-
MANDRELL: Don't threaten me, Doctor. The Gatherer doesn't give anyone money. He takes, but he doesn't give, so you'd better have a good story.
DOCTOR: Once upon a time, there were three sisters.
MANDRELL: (holding his whip handle menacingly) I think you're a spy, a spy for the Gatherer.
[INT. Outside the Correction Centre]
CORDO: The guard, he's gone!
LEELA: We should have killed him. He will have raised the alarm.
BISHAM: Well, there's no turning back.
CORDO: If we're caught in this corridor, we'll have no chance, Leela.
LEELA: What do you suggest?
CORDO: We must be daring. If we take the P45 return route, they'll never expect to find us there.
BISHAM: Oh, I hope you're right, Cordo.
LEELA: Come on, lead the way.
[INT. Corridor]
(The corridor ahead is barricaded, and GUARDS wait there. LEELA takes a peek around the corner and sees this.)
LEELA: There are guards. They have blocked the subway.
CORDO: (gesturing behind him with his head) There's a level interchange back there.
LEELA: Right.
(They head in that direction. However, a vehicle, with a padded front, carries two GUARDS toward them.)
CORDO: It's no good - they've seen us.
The above notes, transcription, etc. by Anna Shefl
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