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DOCTOR WHO
WARRIORS' GATE

Written by
Steve Gallagher

Part Four

(Overlap from 'This garden of yours')

[INT. Grand hall]

DOCTOR: And for me too.
ROMANA: We must have jumped back over the striations.
DOCTOR: Yes.
RORVIK: You seem to come and go around here with a great deal of freedom.
DOCTOR: Yes. It's alarming, isn't it? And the culinary arrangements are variable too.
RORVIK: What's the secret? Something you'd care to share with us?
ROMANA: You won't get the Doctor's help by pointing guns at him.
RORVIK: I negotiate from strength.
DOCTOR: Much the best way, if you can do it.
ROMANA: So you've mended your warp motors, then? Found a new navigator?
DOCTOR: Shh-shh, sh-shh, not so aggressive. We're all in the same boat, and they know it.
RORVIK: Except that you know the way out.
DOCTOR: I do?
RORVIK: That way.
DOCTOR: Oh, no, no. One way only. That's for Tharils.
RORVIK: I don't believe you, and neither do my men. Do you, men?
ALL: (in their usual tone, some of them while eating) No. No.
DOCTOR: A hungry bunch. Now, listen. There's nothing beyond those mirrors for people like us, except the reflection of what's here. Only the Tharils can enter your universe that way, and that's a talent they're born with. The talent that you hunt them for.
ROMANA: A cul-de-sac?
DOCTOR: Yes. Now, unless we work very closely together, we could be caught here until the crack of doom. Oh, what's the use? Could I have one of your pickles? I had a rush lunch.
RORVIK: All right - why not? It's his last meal.
DOCTOR: Well, that goes for all of us. Yes, soon we won't be better off than that chap over there. (gesturing to a skeleton occupying a nearby chair, grim) When the pickles run out.
RORVIK: Enough of the gossip. The secret, Doctor.
(One at a time, three blasters are levelled at the DOCTOR's head.)
K9: (backing into the room) Orders, Master, orders.
PACKARD: I don't believe it!
DOCTOR: K9! Where have you been, my dear old thing?
RORVIK: Is that yours?
K9: Mass-conversion anomaly. Alert. Danger. Warning.
RORVIK: Oh, shut him up.
DOCTOR: Don't say that! He may have a point. What mass-conversion anomaly?
K9: Dimensional contraction of the microcosmic system. Orders.
DOCTOR: Contraction? This could be serious.
ROMANA: It's the memory wafers, Doctor.
DOCTOR: What?
ROMANA: He's going a bit funny.
K9: Mathematical vanishing imminent. Warning.
DOCTOR: No, that's not funny. That's-. What's causing it?
K9: Impossible to compute. Space-time instability.
RORVIK: Time to play with your toys later, Doctor.
DOCTOR: I think not! If K9's right, and he usually is, this place is in worse shape than we thought it was.
PACKARD: You can't get worse than the back of beyond.
DOCTOR: Soon it might not even be that.
ROMANA: K9 says its dimensions are contracting.
RORVIK: Well, that's the silliest thing I've heard all day. Who's going to believe that?
PACKARD: Well-
RORVIK: I thought you might. It's ridiculous. Space contracting?
ROMANA: And time.
PACKARD: At least hear him out. What's the hurry?
DOCTOR: Quite a lot. How long have we got, K9?
K9: Contraction curve exponential. Estimate on present data beyond capability of this unit.
ROMANA: So it's starting?
DOCTOR: Slowly.
ROMANA: But might collapse completely at any minute.
DOCTOR: Yes, yes, but it would need a huge mass to disturb time and space to that extent. Even the TARDIS doesn't weigh that much. Neither does their ship.
ROMANA: It might. The hull is made of dwarf-star alloy.
DOCTOR: What?
ROMANA: Dwarf-star alloy.
DOCTOR: (approaching the men who have blasters pointed at him) Dwarf-star alloy? What are you playing at? Is it something to do with these?
(He holds up Biroc's manacles.)
ROMANA: They're slavers.
DOCTOR: Yes. Trading in time-sensitives. And dwarf-star alloy is the only material that will hold them.
RORVIK: And it's very expensive. (He grabs at the manacles.)
DOCTOR: How many more of those poor creatures have you got in that hulk of yours?
RORVIK: Poor creatures? Each one's worth a king's ransom, Doctor. You seem to understand business even less than you understand science. This wild theory about contraction.
DOCTOR: No wild theory about contraction. K9. No, K9-. K9!
(K9 is facing the mirror as the DOCTOR runs over.)
RORVIK: Hold it.
(K9 speaks slowly, backward.)
RORVIK: Your machine seems to know as much about it as you do. Get up!
PACKARD: So what you're saying is the distances are getting shorter.
LANE: Like between the ship and here.
DOCTOR: Yes, as the domain contracts.
RORVIK: Shut up! He's playing for time.
DOCTOR: Playing for time? Quite the reverse.
LANE: He's right about one thing. The trip between here and the ship. Each time we've done it, it has been shorter.
DOCTOR: Yes, and if I can get back to my TARDIS, I can prove it and find out exactly how much time we have left.
RORVIK: Oh, gobbledygook. We can deal with this in very short order. Get us through. Time's run out for you, Doctor.
DOCTOR: (facing the mirror) Hello, Biroc.
BIROC: (from the other side of the mirror) Doctor. You've seen our past; you've seen our present. You were right. We abused our power. But judge whether we've not suffered enough.
(The flow of time has stopped. RORVIK and his men appear frozen during this conversation.)
DOCTOR: As you said, the weak enslave themselves.
BIROC: The time of our enslavement is over. We will be free.
DOCTOR: I wish you luck. But what about us? Have you got any ideas on that count?
BIROC: Do nothing.
DOCTOR: What?
BIROC: It is done.
DOCTOR: (as BIROC walks away) Biroc? Biroc? It's all very well for you, but-
RORVIK: Time's run out for you, Doctor.
ADRIC: (standing next to the MZ) Please! Please! Just let the Doctor go. I don't know what these levers do, but it's pointing in your direction.
RORVIK: Don't touch anything!
(The DOCTOR picks up K9 and starts moving toward ADRIC.)
RORVIK: You poisonous runt. Who is this boy?
DOCTOR: Oh, he's just a friend of mine. Adric, Romana, get K9 outside, quickly.
(As the DOCTOR manoeuvres the MZ toward the entrance to the hall, all of the men try to shield themselves behind RORVIK.)
RORVIK: You'll never get away with this, Doctor.
DOCTOR: Don't move, lads. It's on automatic.

[INT. Outside the archway]

(ROMANA and ADRIC emerge, carrying K9. When the DOCTOR leaves the doorway, they hand K9 to him.)
DOCTOR: Come on, let's find the TARDIS.

[INT. Great hall]

(Nobody is moving.)
RORVIK: All right, lads, get them!
SAGAN: It's on automatic.
LANE: It doesn't have an automatic.
RORVIK: Get them!

[EXT. Just outside the TARDIS]

DOCTOR: There she blows.
ADRIC: We found it.
DOCTOR: Yes, well, that's one of the advantages of living in a rapidly shrinking micro-universe.
ROMANA: What are the others?
(The DOCTOR enters the TARDIS.)
DOCTOR: Other what?
ROMANA: Other advantages?
DOCTOR [OC]: Ah, well, it's difficult to say.

[EXT. Outside the archway]

PACKARD: The ship's moved!
(It is visible from where he's standing.)
RORVIK: Contracting continuum.
PACKARD: Gobbledygook.
RORVIK: Oh, you never learn anything, do you? There's only one thing for it. Right, everybody. The MZ.
(All of the men start to enter the archway again, but ALDO stops ROYCE from doing so.)
ALDO: I'm not going near that thing. That's a dangerous weapon, that is.
ROYCE: No, Rorvik knows what he's doing. He's seen us right up to now. Hasn't he?
(We hear the MZ start to power up, and ALDO and ROYCE run away. There is a loud boom, smoke billows forth, and some rocks are even spat through the archway. RORVIK and his crew, covered in masonry dust, emerge slowly.)
RORVIK: Don't give up, lads. We'll go for the back blast.

[INT. TARDIS console room]

ADRIC: Why don't we just dematerialise and go?
DOCTOR+ROMANA: No.
ROMANA: We can't just dematerialise and leave them. There are slaves on that ship.
(They are knocked off their feet by the ship's warp motors, which rumble into life. The ship's lights turn on, and the shape of Cerberus rises slowly with billowing smoke.)
ROMANA: What's happening?
DOCTOR: Shhh. Mass attraction. There's something moving out there. It's shaking the entire gateway.
(Rorvik's ship begins turning.)
ADRIC: Look!
ROMANA: What's he doing? He can't take off with his warp motors in that state.
DOCTOR: Back blast.
ROMANA: What?
DOCTOR: Back blast. He's going to use the jets to try and smash through the mirrors.
ROMANA: He's mad. The back blast backlash will bounce back and destroy everything.
DOCTOR: Yes.
ROMANA: It's bound to accelerate the collapse of space around here.
DOCTOR: Yes.
ADRIC: But surely that would flip you back into N-space if you dematerialised at the right moment?
DOCTOR: Shhhh.
ROMANA: We cannot even think of that with those slaves on board. We've got to do something.
DOCTOR: I'm not hopeful.
ROMANA: Neither am I.
ADRIC: Wait a minute. There is that damaged area.
DOCTOR: Yes. What damaged area?
ROMANA: Of course.
DOCTOR: What?
ROMANA: By the warp motors.
DOCTOR: Yes?
ROMANA: The main cable insulation is exposed. We might be able to short out his power.
DOCTOR: (losing the smile he's been building) No.
(He flips a lever on the TARDIS console.)
DOCTOR: Right. (the others move toward the door) Stop! If I'm not back for whatever reason in thirteen and a half minutes, I want you to dematerialise.
ADRIC: Without you?
ROMANA: I am not letting you go alone.
DOCTOR: That's an order. It's about time you started accepting orders.
ROMANA: It is long past time, but how do you think you're going to find the cable?
DOCTOR: With my eyes.
ROMANA: Adric and I have seen it.
DOCTOR: Good. Come on.
ADRIC: I'm coming too.
ROMANA: You are not. It's long past time you learnt to obey orders. Now stay here, and if we are not back for whatever reason in thirteen and a half minutes, I want you to dematerialise. Do you understand?
DOCTOR: I like that. I think you're improving.
ROMANA: (walking to the door) It's a matter of complete indifference to me.
DOCTOR: Indifference? Thirteen and a half minutes.
ADRIC: I'm sure you will.

[INT. Bridge]

RORVIK: Steady now. I want a landing that wouldn't ripple the skin on a custard.
(His ship touches down, very close to the TARDIS.)
RORVIK: Good lads. Who's got control of the overload power?
MAN [OC]: I think it's me.
RORVIK: You think? Listen, everyone. This isn't the MZ we're messing around with here, it's a full-blown back blast. I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your eye on the controls.
PACKARD: Back blast activated and building.
RORVIK: How long till full power?
PACKARD: It's hard to tell with the motors in this state. About ten minutes.
RORVIK: Revivals. Break out the cargo.
PACKARD: What, now?
RORVIK: Well, if this works, we'll need to see where we're going.
PACKARD: You can't do a proper revival in ten minutes!
RORVIK: We'll revive them all. One of them might come through. Well, try it! Let's do something round here for a change.

[INT. Cargo hold]

ROYCE: Don't switch the light on.
ALDO: Why not?
ROYCE: Well, it's bad for 'em.
ALDO: What, you think this is going to do them any good?
(They wheel out the equipment and a Tharil.)
ALDO: I don't know. Ten minutes to plug them all up. Rush, rush, rush.
SAGAN: Ready?
ROYCE: Uh, yes, sir. Uh, just as the captain ordered. Meet the sardines.
SAGAN: Prepare for revival. Switch on now. Well, what's the matter?
ALDO: Uh, I feel I'm coming over a bit nauseous, sir. I'll be all right with a breath of air.
(He leaves. SAGAN prevents ROYCE from leaving along with ALDO.)
SAGAN: And where do you think you're going?
ROYCE: Oh, uh, I'll just go and make sure he's all right, sir. I'll be back in a minute.

[INT. Storage room on the ship]

(ALDO has two mugs of a drink. ROYCE is walking past.)
ALDO: Psst.
(ROYCE enters, and ALDO hands him a mug. We hear a scream.)
ALDO: I can't stand a lot of that.
ROYCE: Funny you signed on with Rorvik.
ALDO: Light duties is what he said.
(There is an even louder scream.)
ROYCE: It'll all end in tears, mark my words.
(There is a third scream.)

[INT. Cargo hold]

(RORVIK and LANE enter. Wisps of smoke rise from the Tharil on the table.)
SAGAN: Sorry, sir. It's no good.
RORVIK: No good? What kind of report's that?
SAGAN: Three tries, three rejects.
LANE: Could be the power fluctuation where we had the damage. I'll go and look.
RORVIK: Since when do you give yourself orders on my ship? I'll check the cable. You get back to the bridge. Well, break out some more.
(He exits the main entrance of the ship, beside which BIROC and the formerly burnt Tharil, LAZLO, are crouched to the side. After RORVIK walks away, BIROC nods to LAZLO, who enters the ship.)

[EXT. Outside hole in ship]

ROMANA: (whispering) The clipboard marks the spot. I'll stand guard.
(The DOCTOR climbs into the hole. He heads up a ladder. It is not long before ROMANA too enters. She makes her way up toward a staircase.
Meanwhile, the DOCTOR has reached the top of the ladder.
He sees a pair of boots in front of him.)

[INT. Ship's corridors]

RORVIK: Is this what you're looking for, Doctor? (He drops the clipboard on the floor.)
DOCTOR: Look here, Rorvik. You've got to stop this back blast. You'll kill us all.
RORVIK: So you say, Doctor. (treading on the DOCTOR's hand) I say it's the only way out of here.
DOCTOR: You can't blast through those mirrors. You must realise by now it just throws the energy straight back.
RORVIK: They've got to break. Everything breaks eventually.
(He kicks the DOCTOR, who falls onto the grating below the ladder. RORVIK climbs down the ladder himself out of shot, then starts strangling the DOCTOR with his own scarf. ROMANA comes up behind RORVIK and hits at him a few times with the clipboard.)
DOCTOR: Never mind the clipboard - short the cables.
(He passes the manacles to her, off to the side of RORVIK's field of vision. ROMANA starts climbing the ladder. She begins attaching the manacles.)
DOCTOR: Drain the main power line. Earth it to the ladder.
ROMANA: I know. I've done it.
(RORVIK releases the DOCTOR to head up the ladder and undo her work. The DOCTOR follows and is kicked into the grating again, hard.
A small fire has broken out meanwhile at the power line.)
DOCTOR: (opening his eyes and standing) Biroc? What are you doing here?
BIROC: Nothing.
DOCTOR: It's all right for you.
BIROC: And for you too. Do nothing.
DOCTOR: Do nothing?
ROMANA: Of course, Doctor. Don't you see?
DOCTOR: Yes, that's right. Do nothing, if it's the right sort of nothing.
(They hold their palms against BIROC's and gradually fade away.)
RORVIK: (holding the manacles in his hand) Run, Doctor. Scurry off back to your blue box. You're like all the rest - lizards when there's a man's work to be done. I'm sick of your kind. Faint-hearted, do-nothing, lily-livered deadweights. (laughs) This is the end for all of you! I'm finally getting something done! Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!

[INT. Cargo hold]

(SAGAN rolls yet another Tharil off onto the floor. We could see that his chest was moving. LAZLO enters.)
SAGAN: Here, where did you spring from? I haven't done you. Never mind - you're just what we need.
(He gets out his blaster, but in that time LAZLO has reached over. He pushes SAGAN onto the table and lowers a piece of unshielded cable toward SAGAN's chest.)
SAGAN: Just a minute! Argh!
(LAZLO leaves the body and holds his hands over the head of a THARIL on one of the shelves, producing a faint gold-flecked halo. That THARIL stirs. LAZLO moves on to the next inert form and does the same.)

[EXT. Outside the TARDIS]

DOCTOR: We've made it. Quick, quick, inside. What's the matter?
ROMANA: I'm not coming with you.
DOCTOR: Inside. That's an order!
ROMANA: No more orders, Doctor. Goodbye.
DOCTOR: What? What a moment to choose.
ROMANA: But it is, isn't it? A moment to choose. I've got to be my own Romana.
BIROC: And we need a Time Lord.
ROMANA: Goodbye, Doctor.
DOCTOR: No, no, no. Wait, wait. There's something else. K9. (he hands the dog over) He'll be all right with you behind the mirrors.
ROMANA: I'll take care of him.
DOCTOR: I'll miss you. You were the noblest Romana of them all.
(He enters the TARDIS while ROMANA, carrying K9, walks away with BIROC. They pass through the mirror.
The TARDIS, now displaying a reddish glow as the back blast builds up, dematerialises. The archway structure explodes, breaking into pieces. Pretty much only the archway itself remains. The slaver ship then suffers a similar fate and bursts into flames.)

[INT. Black-and-white gardens]

(The TARDIS is briefly visible hovering in the air. ROMANA, BIROC, and K9 look on from the structure's terraced gardens.)
ROMANA: The TARDIS. Gone.
K9: TARDIS preserved in concept, Mistress. This unit contains all necessary schedules for duplication of the TARDIS, Mistress.
ROMANA: Exactly, K9. Biroc will help us use the gateway to travel anywhere in E-space, and we can give him time technology.
BIROC: You shall be our Time Lord. We will travel far. Our people are enslaved on many planets.
ROMANA: And you and I, K9, are going to help Biroc free them. That's something we've got to do, don't you think?
K9: Affirmative, Mistress.
(Ghost-like images of many THARILS overlaid on each other emerge from the remnants of Rorvik's ship and enter the archway.)

[INT. TARDIS console room]

ADRIC: The picture's fading.
DOCTOR: Yes.
ADRIC: It's gone.
DOCTOR: Mmm.
ADRIC: Nothing there.
DOCTOR: So it has. Nothing. Well, that's something.
ADRIC: How can nothing be something?
DOCTOR: Well, if the E-space image translator doesn't work, I'm hoping we're in N-space.
ADRIC: Back in your own universe.
DOCTOR: Yes.
ADRIC: Can you be sure?
DOCTOR: Did I say 'sure'?
ADRIC: No.
DOCTOR: Yes. One solid hope's worth a cartload of certainties.
ADRIC: Will Romana be all right?
DOCTOR: All right? She'll be superb.
(We see one final shot of BIROC, ROMANA, and K9 walking through the gardens, into the distance.)

The above notes, transcription, etc. by Anna Shefl

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