Doctor Who (1963) s07e14 Episode Script

Doctor Who Transcript Project Doctor Who Season 7 The Ambassadors of Death 3 of 7 Hello, Recovery 7, do you read me? Hello Recovery 7, do you read me? Hello, Space Control, this is Recovery 7.
Will you clear us for re-entry? Charlie.
This is Ralph Cornish.
You are back at Space Control.
Open the capsule.
We are not cleared for re-entry.
Charlie? You are back at Space Control.
What's wrong? Open the hatch.
Hello, Space Control.
This is Recovery 7.
Will you clear us for re-entry? Let me try.
Hello, Van Lyden? - What is the capital of Australia? - We are not cleared for re-entry.
- How many beans make five? - Hello, Space control.
This is Recovery 7.
Will you clear us for re-entry? - Van Lyden.
- We are not cleared for re-entry.
Right, cut it open.
It's empty.
What? Let me see? But we were talking to Van Lyden.
Liz, try them again.
Hello, recovery 7, do you read me? Hello, Space control.
This is Recovery 7.
Will you clear us for re-entry? Well, well, well - a tape recording.
Triggered off by our speech.
Then where are the astronauts? Well, someone wanted us to believe they were still inside there.
That tape recorder's not a standard part of their equipment is it? No, of course not.
- Then somebody put it there, didn't they? - Why? - To delay us opening the capsule.
- Why should they want to do that? Well, to gain time.
Now, suppose the astronauts were still in there when it landed, and later they were removed.
No, that's impossible this capsule's been guarded all the time and you two were here.
Except when your men turned us out for that security check.
What? They sent us back to the control room while they searched the area.
- I take it you didn't order this.
- No, I didn't.
Well, there you are then a bogus patrol turns up, clears the area, and removes the astronauts at their leisure.
Who would want to kidnap three astronauts? Yes, perhaps the same people who replied to that message.
I think I'll have a word with my guard commander.
- Yes, I'll come with you.
- Doctor.
Yes? What is it? The Geiger counter it's on maximum, the interior's radioactive.
If anyone was in there, they're as good as dead.
Two million rads.
- Scientifically, they should be dead.
- But they're not.
When we tried to remove their helmets, they resisted violently.
I told you not to remove their protective clothing.
General Carrington, these men have received massive doses of radiation.
They need total blood transfusions immediately, they need antibiotics, cortisone injections you don't understand the situation.
- We must reduce the radiation.
- Just increase it.
Are you mad? That would be murder.
The radiation which affects these men is something totally new to us.
To survive it, they have become dependent on it.
What you're saying is contrary to everything that's understood about radioactivity.
You must feed them radiation otherwise they will die.
No, no, no, you can't ask me to do that.
I'm not asking you.
I don't think you can sweep all this under the Ministry carpet, Sir James.
Someone in authority has done this.
The astronauts were in your charge, Brigadier.
They were taken from the Space Centre by two army officers.
Obviously impostors.
The papers of authorisation were genuine.
Their passes were made out in the names of two non-existent officers.
They had a platoon and an army vehicle of the latest design, not the sort of thing you'd buy from an army surplus store.
You've been very thorough, Brigadier.
It's a pity you've no explanation to offer for these strange occurrences.
We haven't come here to offer explanations, Sir James.
We've come to demand them, from you.
All right.
You mean you're going to tell us the truth? No.
But I'm going to introduce you to the man who can.
Will you come in, please? General Carrington, head of the newly formed Space Security department.
Space Security? Weren't you an astronaut on Mars Probe 6? Yes, I was.
Please, sit down Brigadier.
I realise I owe you all an apology.
I can only ask you to believe that everything I have done has been for the good of us all.
Does that include sending coded messages to Mars Probe 7? And kidnapping three astronauts? And Doctor Bruno Taltalian holding a gun on us in the computer room? Taltalian was under strict orders to make sure you didn't have access to the computer.
You see every astronaut is issued with an emergency code only to be used in the ultimate emergency, the code you've been trying to crack.
The message we received from Mars probe 7 told us that the deep-space capsule had passed through a hitherto unsuspected, high density radiation belt, on its way back to Earth orbit.
Why didn't you inform Space Control at once? Security.
Then why wasn't I informed, sir? UNIT is an international organisation and the government wanted to keep it in its own hands.
Yes, but why all this extraordinary behaviour? Well, surely radiation is a normal hazard of space travel.
We believe this radiation to be a different kind.
We believe it to be self-sustaining and highly contagious and that it could spread like a plague, contaminating the entire planet.
Well, we don't want the public to become panic-stricken.
Well, seems to have been a question of the right hand fighting the left, doesn't it, Brigadier? Good! Well, I hope this explanation has eased your minds, gentlemen.
Well, it hasn't eased mine.
I'm sorry? I should like to take a look at these mysteriously irradiated astronauts for myself, if I may.
There's no need for that they're in expert hands.
Nevertheless, I would still like to see them.
Well, I don't see it can do any harm.
Very well then, I'll take you there now, but I can assure you, they're perfectly safe.
- Who are you people? - I've told you before to be quiet.
Where are you going? Where are you taking them? Shut up! But if you take them out of here, they will die.
You must stop.
I'll take them out to the others.
You two go back by the direct route when you've finished here.
You two ride with them.
They won't hurt you.
You've got guns, haven't you? - Do you know where the phone is, sir? - Yes, it's over there.
"Perfectly safe were they"? I don't understand it.
Who would have done this? Doctor, look at this.
These seem to be the radiation records of the missing astronauts / Mmm hmm? Over two million rads.
They couldn't possibly have survived that amount.
Liz what were those exact radiation figures, again? Two million, one-o-two, - four-six-two.
- Thank you.
- Are you getting anywhere? - Possibly.
Do you realise the importance of this? I realise the importance very well, General Carrington.
That is why I must be allowed to continue my work undisturbed.
I'm so sorry.
- These are the complete readings.
- Thanks.
You know, it's the most extraordinary thing.
Those astronauts were emitting radiation like walking reactors.
But radiation destroys human tissue.
Yes.
I know.
The radioactive trace goes to just outside the building, sir.
Then it vanishes.
Obviously, they were taken away in a vehicle.
Why should anyone kidnap them? Contagious radiation.
Could be a terrible weapon in the hands of a foreign power.
Who else knew of the location of this laboratory, sir? Only my immediate staff.
And Sir James Quinlan and his immediate staff.
Well Doctor, any luck? Well, I can tell you where your three astronauts are.
Well? They're still in orbit.
But they came down in the capsule.
They were here, I saw them.
No, you saw three spacesuits.
I don't know what came down in Recovery 7, but it certainly wasn't human.
They must be dying.
I don't think so.
Well, I can't deal with them here.
They should be the intensive care unit, in a hospital.
You've got your instructions, Lennox.
Doctor Lennox, if you don't mind.
I thought they took that away from you.
Hello, this is Reegan.
Everything went fine.
Lennox is looking after them here.
No, no trouble at all.
I just dropped those two off on the way.
Right.
And you really think that they're still in orbit in the Mars Probe? I do.
Their life support systems will be running down.
We've got to send up another recovery capsule.
I should do that as quickly as possible if I were you.
- I'll get onto Quinlan.
- Must you? I'll need his authority.
Get me Sir James Quinlan, top priority.
Yes? Yes.
But we don't really know if the astronauts are up there.
Well, if there's any possibility they're alive up there, - we've got to go and get them.
- Yes, of course, but the government simply will not authorise the expenditure on so little evidence.
We're not talking about money, we're talking about human life.
Yes, indeed Sir James, I'm going to start preparations now.
Unless I get your full backing, I'll call a press conference - and tell them the entire story.
- I would advise you not to do that.
Then you'll have to make sure that I don't have to.
What are we going to do? They mustn't send up a second recovery capsule.
I know that, but how are we going to stop them? And just what do you think you're doing? You've got to let me examine those men.
It's against orders.
The radiation count has dropped drastically they should be recovering.
- That's good then.
- But one of them's collapsed! Well, I was I was hired to get them here that's all.
You weren't hired to let them die.
We don't know they're dying.
Reegan, do you think you'll get your money if they're dead? - Well, what about protective clothes? - You said the radiation had dropped.
Right, I won't hang about in there.
It's all right.
I want to help you.
Can't you understand? I want to help you.
No! No! You shouldn't have locked this door.
I might have been killed.
Shut up.
Help me get him back in there.
Hello.
All right, I'll take care of them.
Listen, about those astronauts Isotopes? Well you'd better get them over here.
I found out what's wrong with these fellows.
They don't need less radiation they need more.
I must have all stages in go condition as soon as possible, so get on with it.
Having trouble? Everything's taking just that little bit longer than it should.
And why do you think that is? I think it's got something to do with Sir James Quinlan.
Could you prove it? No.
- I feel as if I've just murdered them.
- You just keep doing what you're told they'll be all right.
Who is it? All right.
I'll open the front door.
- Look! - What is it? It's working.
I told you they'd be all right, they thrive on the stuff.
What? Yes, I see.
Right, I'll get right down there.
Two bodies have been found in a gravel pit in Hertfordshire.
They died from Radiation.
Hey Lennox, you're a kind of a scientist, do you know these two? Yes, I think I met the girl once.
She was doing research at Cambridge- why? Seems like they're getting in the way.
I'll need to deal with them.
Well, it's the most extraordinary thing, the radioactive contamination has almost vanished.
If you can't get Recovery 8 ready in time, you can use this capsule.
Provided we can get the three thousand tonnes of rocket to go underneath it.
Who's it from? The Brigadier.
He wants us to go down to Hertfordshire to look at those bodies.
- How very morbid.
- Well, are you coming? No, I'm going to stay and get this capsule fully operational.
Doctor? You're back soon.
Well, I started back an hour ago.
But Liz has just gone to meet you.
We received a message asking us to join you.
- You didn't send it? - I'll get after her.