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DOCTOR WHO
NIGHTMARE OF EDEN
Written by
Bob Baker
Part One
[INT. Bridge of the Empress]
(A luxury space liner is moving through space. It phases away into hyperspace. We are now on the bridge with a youngish balding man in a slightly glittery black uniform edged in yellow.)
RIGG: We seem to be ahead of schedule, Secker.
(SECKER is sitting alongside him at the ship's control panels - a blond wearing a dopey grin.)
SECKER: Great.
RIGG: What?
SECKER: The sooner the better.
RIGG: Oh.
(He flips a switch and leans forward to make a broadcast.)
RIGG: Captain here. We're coming out of warp in thirty seconds.
[INT. Passenger deck of the Empress]
(Rows of passengers in hooded, bright-silver coveralls sit in their seats. They all wear dark glasses, which several adjust upon hearing the announcement.)
COMPUTER: (a female voice in measured tones) This is your flight computer speaking. We are about to go into orbit around the planet Azure. Passengers may leave their seats when the blue light comes on but are requested not to remove their protective coveralls until instructed. Will passengers please remember that the Empress will be at seven tenths G, so please be careful when you first start to move around? Thank you.
[INT. Bridge of the Empress]
(RIGG is working robotically, his hands playing over his console, when a large red indicator lights up on the captain's console.)
RIGG: I've got a malfunction. Check it out, will you?
(SECKER is off in another world, grinning and spaced out.)
RIGG: Secker, these co-ordinates are wrong. Did you set these?
SECKER: What's a few degrees?
RIGG: What's a few degrees? What's the matter with you, man? We're flying an interstellar cruise liner, not riding a bicycle!
SECKER: So?
RIGG: So we shall be going into the wrong orbit!
SECKER: So?
RIGG: Well, it will mean delays. We-
(RIGG begins making the correction, but he sees a smaller, salmon-pink spaceship appear practically on top of them.)
RIGG: Oh no!
(The Empress comes out of hyperspace overlapping the other ship, which therefore ends up lodged in the Empress's forward section.)
RIGG: Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is cruise liner Empress reporting collision. Space collision on approach to Azure.
[INT. Corridor of the Empress]
(As alarms ring, two crew members in slightly glittery sleeveless gold shirts run to the affected area of the ship. One holds a communicator. The men stop at the edge of a deck, where raster-style interference between the two ships is evident.)
RIGG [OC]: Damage control, report to the bridge.
CREWMAN: The two ships are sticking straight through each other, sir.
RIGG [OC]: Any blowouts? How's the pressure?
CREWMAN: Everything's okay except we can't get through to some of the passenger sections. They're blocked off. The hull of the other ship, sir - it's sticking right across the entrance to B deck.
[INT. Bridge of the Empress]
RIGG: A deck, report. A deck, are there any casualties?
(He sees only static and interference on the relevant monitor.)
RIGG: (to SECKER) Have you got that damage report yet? Well?
(There is no answer, and RIGG removes the grinning SECKER from his chair bodily. RIGG seats himself in the chair.)
RIGG: Oh, it's all your fault, Secker. I'll carry the can. I'll lose my job, but you, you'll never work in West Galaxy again. (SECKER just tilts his head, quizzically) Go on, check the power, man! (claps his hands) Come on, move yourself! This is an emergency!
(Still grinning, SECKER wanders over to a grid on the wall and presses a button. The alarms are silenced.)
[INT. B deck]
(The TARDIS materialises near an area of interference between the two ships. The DOCTOR and ROMANA emerge and immediately see the issue.)
DOCTOR: Hmm.
ROMANA: Fascinating.
DOCTOR: Bit of a mish-mash.
ROMANA: Why wasn't there an explosion?
DOCTOR: Well, one of the ships must have been in dematerialised form when it happened. Nasty. Could cause terrible problems.
K9: Affirmative. The overlap areas are highly unstable, Master.
DOCTOR: Yes. Interfaces, I should say.
K9: Affirmative.
ROMANA: I don't think we should interfere.
DOCTOR: Interfere? Of course we should interfere. Always do what you're best at, that's what I say. Now, come on.
(He leads onward.)
[INT. Corridor with a sign marking an airlock]
(A blond man in a suit, carrying a helmet, emerges from the airlock. The DOCTOR and ROMANA round the corner.)
ROMANA: Who was that?
DOCTOR: I don't know.
ROMANA: Shall we follow?
DOCTOR: At our own pace.
[INT. Bridge of the Empress]
DYMOND: What are you going to do about the damage to my ship?
RIGG: Mister Dymond, I am concerned with my ship, my crew, and 900 passengers. We're fully covered comprehensive on all third-party damage, so don't worry.
DYMOND: (now shown to us as the man in the pressure suit) I was involved in a most important survey job, and you just come crashing in on me, then you tell me not to worry? What am I going to do for a ship?
RIGG: The company will compensate you! Get in touch with your insurance people!
(The DOCTOR and ROMANA enter. They aren't noticed.)
DYMOND: Then I insist that you sign a document to the effect that this collision was entirely your fault!
RIGG: I can't do that! What were you doing there, anyway? You were right in the middle of a launch and land window for commercial flights.
DYMOND: I was given complete clearance from Azure Control. You were off course!
DOCTOR: Gentlemen, gentlemen, please. I'd say it was knock for knock, wouldn't you?
RIGG: What? Are you a passenger?
DOCTOR: No, no. We answered your mayday. I'm from Galactic Insurance and Salvage. Been having a look around. This is my assistant, Romana. I'm the Doctor. How do you do?
RIGG: How'd you do. What's that?
DOCTOR: Oh, K9? Well, a computer of sorts.
RIGG: It looks more like a dog. Does he bark?
DOCTOR: No, but he has been known to bite. Aren't we going to introduce ourselves?
RIGG: Oh, yes. My name's Rigg, Captain Rigg.
DOCTOR: We just met.
RIGG: Yes. Er, this is Mister Dymond, the owner of the other vehicle involved in the, er, incident.
DOCTOR: How do you do? (They shake hands.)
RIGG: Salvage, you say?
DOCTOR: Yes.
RIGG: Yes, well, I can't discuss anything until I've spoken to the company.
DOCTOR: What about a better idea? Why don't we try to separate the ships?
DYMOND: Impossible.
DOCTOR: I like doing the impossible.
ROMANA: If it's possible to get into the situation, theoretically it should be possible to get out of it.
DOCTOR: Ah, you've spoilt it now.
ROMANA: But look, at the time of the collision, this ship was partially dematerialised.
DOCTOR: Therefore, if we can re-create identical circumstances, the ships could be separated.
ROMANA: It's just a question of exciting the molecules. Put your ship on full thrust.
DOCTOR: Then full reverse.
ROMANA: Well, it's worked before, you know.
DOCTOR: I preferred it when it seemed impossible.
RIGG: Yes, well, it might work if I could get any power.
DOCTOR: Are you pressing the right button? (He comes up behind RIGG.)
RIGG: Of course I am.
DOCTOR: Can we switch on the wreck of the power unit?
RIGG: Well, we could do, but it's dangerous.
DYMOND: Worth a try - anything to get out of this mess.
RIGG: It could damage your ship.
DYMOND: That's nice coming from someone who's just crashed into it. I'll risk it.
DOCTOR: All right, all right. Where's the power unit?
RIGG: Secker'll show you. Secker, take the Doctor to the power unit.
DOCTOR: Good. No, Romana, you stay here. I might need you. I'll take K9. K9? K9?
K9: Affirmative, Master. Affirmative.
(SECKER, the DOCTOR, and K9 leave.)
RIGG: Well, er, Romana, er, why don't you and Mister Dymond wait in the, er, lounge?
ROMANA: Right.
RIGG: Just down the corridor on the right.
(After the two have gone, RIGG pulls up the details of Galactic Salvage & Insurance on a monitor. Formed London Earth 2068. Liquidated 2096. The word 'LIQUIDATED' flashes. He leans back in his seat.)
[INT. First-class corridor]
(SECKER, now looking tired, slumps slightly against the wall as the group come around a corner.)
SECKER: You go down here to Section 5, then left into the shuttle bay, and down to level B. You can't miss it.
(He starts to walk off.)
DOCTOR: Hold on. I thought the idea was you'd show me.
SECKER: I've told you, haven't I? What's the difference? I'm busy. (He walks off.)
DOCTOR: How very odd.
K9: Affirmative.
[INT. Luggage area]
(They follow SECKER, who staggers to his knees in a dark part of the ship. He fumbles semi-frantically for a keycard and uses it to open a filing cabinet. After SECKER leaves with a small container, the DOCTOR enters, opens the filing-cabinet drawer with his sonic screwdriver to open the cabinet, and removes another container. He opens it, pours some of the contents onto his palm, sniffs whatever is there, and holds his hand out to K9.)
DOCTOR: Any idea what this is, K9?
K9: A fungus. Source of the drug XYP.
DOCTOR: (whispering) Yes?
K9: Dangerous, addictive. Known as Vraxoin.
DOCTOR: Vraxoin? I've seen whole communities, whole planets destroyed by this. It induces a kind of warm complacency and a total apathy. Until it wears off, that is, and soon you're dead. Come on.
[INT. Lounge]
(ROMANA is standing and listening to a man in spectacles and a vest who is eagerly recounting his ideas, in a Germanesque accent. In the background is his female assistant.)
TRYST: It is my ambition to become the first zoologist to qualify and quantify every species in our galaxy. One more trip and I may achieve it.
ROMANA: Are you planning another?
TRYST: Ah, well, the next is always on my mind but is a question of finance. I was hoping to meet a sponsor on Azure, but this accident may have ruined my chances.
ROMANA: A sponsor?
TRYST: Yes, well, the government used to fund me, but the galactic recession put a stop to that. Now all they do is to assign me special travel facilities on government-subsidised space lines, but first class.
(He gestures to his surroundings.)
ROMANA: What's that machine?
(A diamond-shaped device stands at waist height on thin legs. It has a light on top.)
TRYST: Ah, that is my CET machine, the Continuous Event Transmuter. It is an invention of mine. I will show you.
(He switches it on, the light lights up, and the far wall of the lounge is illuminated as a projection screen might be. This shows a sunny, misty landscape with trees, and some mountains in the distance.)
ROMANA: (approaching the image) It looks as if you've invented the cinematograph.
TRYST: (laughs) What you see may seem to be just a, a, a mere projection, but it is, in fact, a matter transmutation.
DELLA: (his assistant) You see, when we've collected the specimens for study, they're converted into electromagnetic signals and stored on an event crystal in the machine.
TRYST: And they go on living and evolving.
DELLA: In the crystal.
TRYST: This image projection allows us to see them whenever we wish. The flora and the fauna are actually in a crystal. I hope you can appreciate what a technical achievement that is.
ROMANA: Well, a crude form of matter transfer by dimensional control.
TRYST: Crude?
ROMANA: Well, prototype. And you could have problems with it.
TRYST: Problems? But it works perfectly.
ROMANA: Nothing works perfectly.
TRYST: Oh, yes, but-
ROMANA: What about the materialisation collision? It's caused all sorts of unstable matter interfaces. They'll probably affect the dimensional matrix of your machine.
TRYST: The what?
ROMANA: Have you thought of that?
TRYST: Are you claiming superior knowledge?
ROMANA: Equal, perhaps.
DYMOND: I wish everyone would stop showing off and get something done about my ship.
[INT. Bridge of the Empress]
RIGG: We seem to have to have a slight problem, Azure. We're doing out best to sort it out, and meanwhile we'll continue to orbit. Rigg out.
(The DOCTOR clears his throat.)
RIGG: Ah, Doctor. The man from Galactic.
DOCTOR: Yes.
RIGG: Back so soon?
DOCTOR: Yes. I'll tell you something about your man Secker.
RIGG: What about him?
DOCTOR: He ran away.
RIGG: Yes, well, he has been behaving rather strangely. Seems to be in a different world.
DOCTOR: Yes. Perhaps he's unwell. Can I have a look at your log and check to see if he's been to any planet where he might have picked up Vraxoin?
RIGG: Doctor, this is the milk run. Station 9 to Azure, Azure to Station 9, a straight charter for the whole season.
DOCTOR: What about one of the passengers? One of them could have been the carrier, so to speak.
RIGG: No, Doctor. They've all had prevocation checks. The Azurian authorities insist on it.
DOCTOR: Anyone else?
RIGG: Tryst.
DOCTOR: Tryst?
RIGG: Yes. A zoologist. He arrived at Station 9 after a long expedition with his equipment, and he's looking for a holiday.
DOCTOR: Where had he been?
RIGG: Well, all over. Oh, but he's all right. We checked him over.
DOCTOR: Yes, but I'd still like to know where he's been.
RIGG: Yes, and I'd like to know just who you are.
DOCTOR: Me?
RIGG: Yes.
DOCTOR: Well, I told you. I'm from Galactic.
RIGG: Galactic went out of business twenty years ago.
DOCTOR: I wondered why I hadn't been paid.
RIGG: Now that's not good enough.
DOCTOR: That's what I thought. Where can I find Tryst?
RIGG: Well, he's in the first-class lounge.
DOCTOR: Good, good. Look, you try and find Secker and meet me in the first class lounge and-
RIGG: Yes, and-
DOCTOR: No, no. Do you want this ship repaired or not?
RIGG: Well, yes, of course I do.
DOCTOR: Well then, just find Secker and meet me in the lounge in five minutes.
RIGG: But I-
DOCTOR: Bye.
[INT. B deck]
(SECKER saunters over toward the area where the two ships overlap.)
RIGG [OC]: Secker, report to the bridge.
(SECKER steps into the misty interface area.)
[INT. Lounge]
DOCTOR: Really? Then where did you go?
TRYST: We went through the Cygnus gap.
DOCTOR: What?
TRYST: And then we did a slingshot over to a small system, just three planets, M37. You know?
DOCTOR: I do.
TRYST: The second planet supports life in a very early stage of evolution. The molluscs, the algae, the primitive insects. (laughs) I can show you.
DOCTOR: No, no, no, that's perfectly all right. I'm just interested in the voyage. It's fascinating.
TRYST: Here you are, a copy of my log. I published it to go with my lectures.
DOCTOR: The Volante.
TRYST: Yes, the name of my ship.
DOCTOR: And you invented this marvellous machine to collect your specimens? You know, I knew a man once who toyed with an idea like this. What was his name? Professor Stein?
TRYST: Professor Stein?
DOCTOR: Yes.
TRYST: Oh, a dear friend. He was my mentor. We worked on this idea together before he died, of course. Then we stopped. You knew him?
DOCTOR: Yes, well, by reputation. He once gave a seminar on the-
DYMOND: Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. All very well reminiscing, but don't we have an urgent problem to deal with? I'm anxious to be on my way.
DOCTOR: Of course. You're extremely anxious to be on your way.
DYMOND: Yes. You see, I didn't actually expect a space liner to materialise halfway through my ship today.
DOCTOR: No.
RIGG: Doctor, we can't locate Secker. My men are still looking.
DOCTOR: Could you take me to the power unit yourself?
RIGG: Yes, well, all right.
DOCTOR: Good, good. Tryst, thank you very much for your story. Very interesting. We must have a chat about this machine of yours sometime.
TRYST: Yes.
DOCTOR: And about the notion of your capturing alien species for your own private zoo.
TRYST: Zoo?
DOCTOR: Yes.
TRYST: No, Doctor, this is important scientific research. I am helping to conserve endangered species.
DOCTOR: By putting them in this machine?
TRYST: Oh, yes.
DOCTOR: Ah, yes, of course. Just in the same way a jam-maker conserves raspberries. (He leaves with RIGG.)
ROMANA: Oh, don't mind him. He just likes to irritate people.
(She picks up the copy of Tryst's log.)
TRYST: Yes, well, he has a right to criticise, I suppose. Still, I'm very pleased to have someone of intellect to speak with again, after such a long voyage cooped up with all the same peoples.
ROMANA: How many were on your ship?
TRYST: Ah, well, to begin with there was ten, but we lost one.
ROMANA: How?
TRYST: He died.
ROMANA: How did he die?
TRYST: He died.
[INT. Corridor]
RIGG: Did you find out anything from Tryst?
DOCTOR: No. K9 checked all the planets he'd been to.
K9: Affirmative.
DOCTOR: None of them could explain Secker's condition.
RIGG: Are you sure?
DOCTOR: Absolutely certain.
(In their path is the interface between the ships.)
RIGG: Oh dear.
K9: Caution. Area of overlap is highly dangerous. Molecular structure of the two ships is incompatible, causing matter interface.
RIGG: What?
DOCTOR: Fascinating. The two ships are rejecting each other - molecularly speaking, that is.
RIGG: Like a tissue transplant, you mean.
DOCTOR: Exactly, exactly. Is there another way to the power unit?
RIGG: Well, we can try from below the shuttle bay. We'll have to cut our way through. I could put in a request for lasers, have them sent up from Azure.
DOCTOR: That won't be necessary. I've got my own equipment.
[INT. Lounge]
(ROMANA turns the dial on the top of the CET machine, whose options include Gidi, Eden, Zil, Vij, Darp, and Lvan, from 'Bros' to 'Ranx'. This landscape features a pinkish sky and trees with a sphere at the top of each. She moves the dial to 'Gidi', the next planet along. The wind is blowing dust across a somewhat barren landscape with a few trees. She turns the dial again, to 'Eden', and is greeted with a dark forest in which birds and other animals can be heard. ROMANA walks toward the projection. A human male, partially obscured by the underbrush, moves out of sight as ROMANA approaches. DELLA enters the room.)
DELLA: What are you doing?
ROMANA: Oh, I was just having a look. I hope you don't mind.
DELLA: (switching off the machine) I don't, no.
ROMANA: Then why have you switched it off?
DELLA: I don't mind. Tryst does. This machine's his baby. Nobody touches it except for him.
ROMANA: Has it ever gone wrong?
DELLA: No. Why should it?
ROMANA: Pfft. Lots of reasons. Do you think I could just have a look at that last one? Eden I think it's called.
DELLA: No, not that one.
ROMANA: What's the matter?
DELLA: It's just that Eden brings back such unpleasant memories for me. That was where we lost the other crew member.
ROMANA: Oh, I see. He was a friend of yours.
DELLA: More than that, but it doesn't matter now. Excuse me. (She leaves.)
[INT. Interface below the shuttle-bay area]
RIGG: We won't be able to make it, Doctor. The place to cut through is beyond that overlap.
DOCTOR: Where's the power unit?
RIGG: Up there.
(We hear a man screaming from the interface area. The DOCTOR and RIGG rush in.)
K9: Caution, Master. You're entering a matter interface.
(The two drag SECKER on his back from the interface area. Three large scratches run down the cheek we can see.)
RIGG: What the devil did that?
DOCTOR: I don't know.
RIGG: (into his communicator) Medics, level 4. Meet you at the elevator. Move!
DOCTOR: K9, see if you can find anything in there.
K9: The mist is a matter interface and therefore dangerous, Master.
DOCTOR: Just go near the edge.
K9: Affirmative, Master.
(K9 enters the interface area as the other two drag SECKER away. K9 backs out again immediately.)
K9: Sensors will not function in the environment, Master.
[INT. Beside the lift]
(The MEDICS place SECKER on a gurney as RIGG moves forward from the lift. The DOCTOR has accompanied him and remains in the background.)
RIGG: Let's get him to the sick bay, quick!
[INT. Luggage area]
(Someone wearing a large ring on his or her left middle finger reaches into the filing-cabinet drawer and rummages around.
The drawer is still open as the DOCTOR enters. He reaches into the drawer and investigates it. He turns round, and a gun is pointed at him.)
DOCTOR: Hello. No, wait, please.
(The DOCTOR, whose arms are up, is shot with an energy weapon. He falls to the ground. The figure removes the Vraxoin from the DOCTOR's coat pocket and rushes away.)
[INT. Sick bay]
(SECKER is in an isolation area, where MEDICS treat his injuries. RIGG and DELLA watch through the observation window.)
RIGG: It was an attack by somebody. Or something.
DELLA: Horrible. But why?
RIGG: I don't know. Have you ever seen anything like that before?
DELLA: No. No, I haven't.
(TRYST enters through the swinging doors.)
TRYST: Ah, Captain, I get your message. What is the problem?
RIGG: Look at this.
TRYST: Where did this happen?
RIGG: Down under the shuttle bay. Secker was in one of the matter interfaces.
TRYST: Yes, that could be the answer. Who knows what forces exist in an unstable zone such as that?
RIGG: You didn't hear the scream. Tryst...
(They move out of DELLA's hearing.)
RIGG: You didn't bring any live specimens on board my ship, did you?
TRYST: Oh, no, Captain. I assure you. No, all my specimens are laser crystal recordings.
RIGG: Good, good.
(He returns to the observation window, from which we see the chief MEDIC shake his head.)
[INT. Corridor]
K9: (leading ROMANA down a dimly lit corridor) This way, Mistress.
ROMANA: How far?
K9: Approximately seven metres and closing.
[INT. Luggage area]
ROMANA: (rushing to the DOCTOR's side upon seeing him through the doorway) Doctor! What happened?
DOCTOR: I- Bushwhacked!
ROMANA: What?
K9: Please clarify. Statement does not compute.
DOCTOR: Bushwhacked!
K9: Oh, bushwhacked. Cowardly attack by a person or persons unknown.
DOCTOR: (checking his coat for the drug) Gone.
ROMANA: Has something been stolen?
DOCTOR: (sotto) Yes. Someone aboard this ship is smuggling drugs. Vraxoin.
ROMANA: Vraxoin!
DOCTOR: Yes.
ROMANA: I thought that was stamped out long ago.
DOCTOR: Yes.
ROMANA: The only known source was destroyed, wasn't it?
DOCTOR: That's right. They incinerated an entire planet. Someone's found another source.
[INT. Bridge of the Empress]
DYMOND: What is the man doing? He comes up with a marvellous idea and then he fiddles about.
RIGG: I've got my own problems, Dymond, including a dead navigator. And now the Doctor says he's going to blast his way into the shuttle bay. How do I explain a great gaping hole in the side of the ship?
DYMOND: I just wish he'd get on with it. I've got a schedule to keep.
RIGG: So have I.
[INT. Beside the lift]
ROMANA: Doctor, this machine.
DOCTOR: (who has summoned the lift) What, the lift?
ROMANA: No, not the lift, the CET machine.
DOCTOR: What about it?
ROMANA: It doesn't just take recordings.
DOCTOR: Oh no, the animals themselves are converted into magnetic signals, and their habitats.
ROMANA: So he's left bald patches on the planets he's visited?
DOCTOR: Ah, yes. The CET machine's just an electric zoo. For cages, read laser crystals. Either way, the animals are trapped inside.
ROMANA: I hope so.
DOCTOR: What do you mean?
ROMANA: Well, you saw how primitive the device was. It's terribly unstable. This ship is full of unstable matter zones. It gives me the creeps. It wasn't just a mirage that attacked Secker.
RIGG: Killed him.
DOCTOR: What?
RIGG: Secker's dead. They couldn't save him.
DOCTOR: That's a pity. He might have been able to say what attacked him.
(The lift finally arrives.)
RIGG: I asked Tryst, but he couldn't help either.
DOCTOR: Right, first things first. Romana, you take care of the CET machine.
(He leaves her in the lift.)
ROMANA: What are you going to do?
DOCTOR: Separate the ships. Come on, Rigg.
(We see a shot of the merged ships, then ROMANA running into the lounge, which is now deserted, and switching on the CET machine. She moves the dial to Eden and again approaches the projection.)
[INT. Corridor]
DOCTOR: Well, Captain, you'll have to show us the best place.
RIGG: It's a pity we can't get further up there, and I don't want to damage an air seal or cut through a stress point.
DOCTOR: Oh, I'm sure K9 will be careful. Won't you, K9?
K9: Affirmative, Master.
DOCTOR: Go. Make it as big as you can, K9.
(K9 begins cutting into the bulkhead, at about chest height.)
RIGG: Very handy, that machine of yours, Doctor.
DOCTOR: Well, he's not just a mobile blowtorch, you know. He's saved my life on lots of occasions. Beat me at chess, once. Ssh.
(We see ROMANA again. As she walks into the Eden projection, a blob of white light slowly rises out of the projection. When it touches ROMANA's neck, she brings her hand to her neck and falls to the ground in the lounge.
After another shot of the ship sandwich, we return to K9, who has just finished cutting a rough ellipse in the wall. The DOCTOR pats K9 on the head.)
RIGG: Right, Doctor, give me a hand.
(The edges of the cut section are no longer red, and the two lift away the cut section easily. From out of the smoke or mist beyond, a grunting creature with claws raised in front of large green eyes reaches its arms out toward them.)
The above notes, transcription, etc. by Anna Shefl
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