Doctor Who (1963) s21e09 Episode Script

What happened? I don't know.
The Doctor's gone to investigate.
You take care of him; the Doctor will probably need some help.
No! Wait! What happened in there? Please tell me.
Is my daughter safe? So they're Tractators.
No Tegan! Get back! Are you alright? Get her out of here.
I'll hold them off.
But Doctor OUT! Alright, listen you lot! The retrograde element is out in strength.
Emergency discipline procedures apply from this moment on desertion, looting, insubordination will suffer the highest penalty! Right.
First we find the Doctor.
Alright, you lot! You've got one minute to CLEAR THIS AREA!!! Norna! Thank goodness you're safe.
Where's the Doctor? I'm going back for him.
No, it's too dangerous! We can't leave him there! Norna, you stay here with Turlough.
I'm coming with you.
No, thanks all the same, but the Doctor's my responsibility.
No that's foolish to go into those tunnels alone.
Look after the boy.
I won't be long.
No! Oh no On the other hand just a touch of spin! Howzat? Don't tell me you're lost, Doctor.
Because if you are so am I.
Ah, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.
Almost like walking through treacle! Hold on Doctor, I'll give you a hand! No! Stay back! It's alright Doctor, I've got you What's happening? Some sort of gravity beam - from the Tractators! No no! Stay back! Get everyone back to the Research Room! Doctor, think of something! Oh, I am - lots of things - nothing that quite fits the gravity of the situation! My home Tractators I've seen all this before Quick, we must get him to the surface and get help.
But he's speaking, Father.
I think it's important.
They were there WAITING destroying us from inside Sounds like something coming up from his past, like a memory picture.
Once long ago on my home You remember them? WE REMEMBER THEM! THE PEOPLE OF MY PLANET WILL NEVER FORGET! It's more than his past.
It's more like deep ancestral memory.
TRACTATORS! Once long ago my home was AN INFECTION!!! Give me the lamp! What are you gonna do? Wait until we're closer! You, Cockerill? This is looting! Anything to say? What? It's all over.
Can't you see that? For you, yes.
For Frontios.
Plantagenet's been eaten by the earth.
Is that what they're saying? Hold on! Now! Better get out of here.
The line of leadership is destroyed, and now it's every man for himself.
Where do you glean all this information? It's common knowledge.
Common knowledge? You sound like a Retrograde! We're all Rets now, Brazen.
Take him away.
Steady, young man.
Not much further to go.
Wait a minute, father It's a map.
That's Captain Revere's writing.
Then that proves it; he must've known about the caves and tunnels.
And more than that perhaps.
You don't suppose he knew about the creatures? Well, he must've suspected something if he was down this far.
Well, why not tell the people of Frontios?! Hmm.
The conspiracy of silence.
I've been collecting evidence all these years You don't think they're connected, the unaccountable deaths and these creatures? There is a connection.
That girl Tegan told me she saw Come on, we must hurry.
The earth is hungry it waits to eat He's forcing himself to remember.
I can see them! They are the appetite beneath the GROUND!! You're letting me go? I don't need you.
This colony is finished, and everyone knows it except for those who are too stupid to think for themselves! You've got enough food there to last a few days.
What then!? I don't know.
It's not easy to live inside this system.
But to live outside of it takes more than you've got.
Leave him be.
He's made his choice.
We must get help.
This may be the help we need, Father.
It's here that he remembers best.
You can see them under the ground? What are they doing? Growing Breeding Spreading the infection.
How do they do that? I can't see it THERE'S A WALL!!! An emotional block, something he doesn't want to face.
Try to get through the wall! Black walls smooth they shine like glass You can see through glass - look through it! No! IT'S EVIL! I CAN'T LOOK!!! That's enough; we must get him out of here.
Ah.
Mr.
Range We've been waiting for you.
I have a file here which contents amount to a charge of sedition! Bring them along to the State Room.
help me! Please, someone! Help me! Help me! If only we knew more about these creatures.
I suspect Turlough can help us with that, as soon as we get back Get back.
I heard you the first time.
Against the wall! There are more of them.
What's it doing? There's someone up there it wants to get down.
HELP ME! I'm going to try an experiment.
Too late, it's seen us! He outlived the hunger of the earth! A man who can do that can do anything! Do I understand then, Mr.
Range, that you admit to keeping private and secret medical records? I'm the Chief Science Officer.
Of course.
And these records purport in part to contain a history of 'mysterious disappearances'? The records are accurate.
Ever since our first arrival on this planet there have been cases We all know the myths going about the place, Mr.
Range.
No need to elaborate them here.
But are they myths? That's the point! Address the deputy, Mr.
Range.
It's the facts we're after - not a public debate! But these are the facts; bodies of the dead that have not been recovered; work personnel in the quarry unaccounted for.
I even have one reliable eyewitness account of a corpse disappearing into the earth! Quite.
But for some reason you chose to keep these happenings secret.
No, the State made them a secret.
I merely collected the records.
I'm a plain speaking man, Mr.
Range.
You've been collecting this garbage in order to subvert law and order on Frontios, haven't you? Now admit it! Plantagenet accuses me of that? That is correct.
Then where is he? I know why he isn't here.
The Doctor's friend told me what she saw in the medical shelter.
'Frontios buries its own dead', that's what they say, isn't it? So runs the myth.
She saw that myth.
She saw Plantagenet being eaten by the earth.
eaten by the earth He has some contribution to offer? They live in the ground below pulling us to them in our times of weakness Please, we have work to do DEAD or alive, their forces dug at our bodies.
What do you know about this? Leave him alone! He's in shock, he needs warmth and rest.
And I need answers, Mr.
Range! Wait outside, you two.
Off the record, I think.
They you say.
Who are they? I warn you as a medical man, he's in no state to be questioned! And you're out of order, Mr.
Range! If there's a grain of truth in this story of yours, then these are important matters of State! Do you expect me to delay the investigation just because this young man is feeling delicate?! Your name's Turlough, eh? Well now, Turlough, I want to hear all about this.
We've got to find the way out.
Well, sometimes it's easier to look for the way in, and then work backwards.
Oh, come on Doctor, all these tunnels look the same! Oh, but they aren't What do you make of these? Just loose chippings Hmm these chippings have recently been machined from these walls.
They have machines? Functionally advanced ones, at that.
They're creating an extensive and elaborate tunnel system.
Oh, insect-like they may be, but they're no ordinary insects.
They have highly refined powers of abstract reasoning.
These Tractators must be very intelligent beings indeed.
It is time we fetched this Doctor to us.
Send 'the machine'.
Organised intelligent hmm, not much of an enemy profile.
What I want to know is what they are about and why! Please, he's in a state of shock.
When deep ancestral memory pictures break through the conscious mind like this, dangerous instabilities are created.
Now leave the boy alone! If anybody is on trial here, it's me! Not a trial, Mr.
Range; a pooling of information - something we should've done decades ago! Well, you had the chance.
No! Because you had all the information locked up! If you'd shown us that, then Captain Revere, who with his bare hands held this shambles we called Frontios together, might still be alive! Captain Revere knew about the creatures, he must have done! It's his fault, why didn't he tell us? And add to the rumours and unrest? You can't broadcast socially sensitive information unless you're in control of the facts! But if we'd known for sure We'd have done what?! These Tractators that the boy talks about they could explain the unspeakable events that we have witnessed.
Not witnessed, Brazen, if we're being particular about this.
You and I have not actually seen it happen.
I have Mr.
Range Come with me.
I want to show you something.
You're never without a sense of direction while there's an air flow.
Air flows from A to B.
Usually you want to be at B or at A I don't want to be at A or B, thank you very much.
I just want to be out of these tunnels and back in the Yes, well I think you can forget about the TARDIS.
It's probably scattered in little pieces across the whole of Frontios.
There, you see.
But the State funeral? We all saw the body.
But not the face.
Carcasses are plentiful on Frontios.
There had to be a corpse, just to keep public order.
It was here he disappeared? Sucked into the earth in front of my eyes.
He was badly injured by the falling boulders and rubble, but he would've lived.
He may still be alive.
Alive? What do you mean? The Tractators need living flesh.
They need minds.
As well as bodies The work of excavation is our task.
Beneath the soil we can expand and populate the whole of Frontios.
Do you understand? It is important that you understand Speak.
We will defeat your goal! You do not know our goals! I have described our means.
Once we have full control of Frontios, our plans are only just beginning.
You are evil! We will fight you to the last! This is not a war, Plantagenet.
It is a co-operation.
You will see.
The colonists of Frontios will never co-operate with you.
And yet they do! We Tractators have devised an economical technology of excavation.
But it needs a captive human mind to drive it.
Captives? Slaves? You will see.
You will see Our old driver is nearing the end of his useful powers, but now we have another to take his place! Do we not Plantagenet? I want a strategic force of five hand-picked men equipped for a below-ground sortie.
Ah we'll have the briefing in here within the quarter-hour.
Very good, Chief Orderly.
Wait that's the sound.
What is it? The machine that did this.
It seems to be coming this way.
That weapon's no good for tunnel work, Jensen oh, and I'll take the rations.
We are going to be privileged to sit down and eat with Plantagenet on our return.
You didn't let anybody down.
It doesn't matter.
It's not my sort of thing anyway mooching around in caves and tunnels underground.
Not Turlough.
We need someone who knows the terrain.
His mental state won't be reliable beneath ground.
I'll come with you.
I'd prefer you to stay here with your daughter.
The Rets are on the rampage, things could get nasty outside too.
I don't need looking after.
Alright Mr.
Range, I'll accept your offer Tractators - dead ahead.
This is ridiculous - running about like rabbits in a hole.
If you ask me No one is, Tegan, so shush.
Don't torture yourself.
Nobody expects you to go back down there.
No, of course they don't.
I'm Turlough.
What's this? Decision time.
That's it then.
I'm going.
No, don't be silly.
You can't argue with fate.
Here.
It's a two corpira piece.
You blow through it for good luck.
Wait a minute.
Excavating machine or Tractators.
Take your pick.
After you.
It's a bit of a problem this, Tegan.
That's horrible.
It's a corpse.
Not exactly.
There's a living mind enslaved in the middle of that lot.
That face I recognise it from somewhere.
It's Captain Revere