(This is the dystopian science fiction story.)
1. (Night. Forest of well-spaced trees, running up a slope. MIKE suddenly appears in foreground, moving round trunk of tree, dressed in a grubby black boiler suit, looking hunted and out of breath. He advances out of shot. In unison, three powerful white lights appear on the horizon. They draw closer, and resolve into torchlight. Three figures holding the torches advance. They’re PRISON GUARDS, all in white, white helmets, white tunics, white boots. They hold ray guns.)
2. (DOCTOR and ISOBEL, outdoors at night. Wood is gathered for a fire. They’re near to a longbarrow, out in open country.)
ISOBEL: I will never know how y’ persuaded me t’ camp all the way out here. It’s miles from anywhere.
DOCTOR: You heard the man talking in the pub. No-one comes here. They’re too frightened.
ISOBEL: He was jokin’, y’ great daftie! Barrow-Wights, indeed! Whose frightened o’ Barrow-Wights, in this day and age? Nae-one, that’s who!
(Pause)
ISOBEL: And I’m puttin’ up the tent tonight. You never fix the guy-ropes tight enough. You can get the fire goin’. An’ remember, small sticks first.
3. (Blurry shot of MIKE running across open country, looking desperate. Camera follows him for a while, then stays still and he moves off frame. GUARDS appear in frame shortly afterwards.)
4. (Camp site. Tent is now up and fire going, DOCTOR and ISOBEL sitting beside it. Kettle is placed over it.)
ISOBEL: Show me it again.
DOCTOR: What?
ISOBEL (as if to an idiot): That thing you found, o’ course.
(DOCTOR reaches in his pocket and passes it to her. She holds it up. It’s a small metal rod.)
ISOBEL: From just around here?
DOCTOR (pointing somewhere close): Just there.
ISOBEL: Funny thing. It’s no’ made your stick go off?
DOCTOR: No. (smiling) All quiet on the sticky front.
ISOBEL (studying rod): Must be from somewhere.
(ISOBEL shrugs and passes rod back to DOCTOR, who re-pockets it.)
5. (MIKE running. He trips and falls. Pan to reveal this is at DOCTOR and ISOBEL’S camp site. GUARDS run up behind, and level their guns at everyone. DOCTOR and ISOBEL sit stock-still. Pause. The kettle starts to whistle.)
DOCTOR (brightly): Would anyone like any tea?
6. (Jump-cut. MIKE is now cuffed, GUARDS standing over him, and also DOCTOR and ISOBEL.)
GUARD (to MIKE): Right, let’s get you back where you belong.
SECOND GUARD (pointing to DOCTOR and ISOBEL): What about these two?
(THIRD GUARD aims his ray gun at them.)
THIRD GUARD: They shouldn’t take up too much time.
(DOCTOR and ISOBEL sit, looking hopelessly at levelled ray gun. FIRST GUARD suddenly reaches out and pushes THIRD GUARD’S gun arm down.)
FIRST GUARD: You know procedure. They come with us.
THIRD GUARD (complaining): And then comes all the form-filling. After which, they die anyway. Doing it now’s easier for everyone.
FIRST GUARD: And leaves bodies to be found. Procedure’s there to be followed. Am I clear?
(THIRD GUARD still defiantly holds onto his ray gun.)
FIRST GUARD: Am I clear?
(THIRD GUARD hesitates a moment, then nods sullenly and lowers his gun.)
THIRD GUARD: Alright then, but you’re doing the reports.
FIRST GUARD: I say who does the reports. Bring them.
7. (All stand by side of barrow. DOCTOR and ISOBEL now handcuffed, alongside MIKE. FIRST GUARD speaks into a communicator.)
FIRST GUARD: Retrieval complete. Coming in. Open sesame.
(Barrow starts to rumble, then a large concealed hatch opens in its side. This reveals bright light pouring out, and mechanisms barely visible within.)
ISOBEL (incredulous): What is tha’?
FIRST GUARD: Where we’re going.
MIKE: I’m sorry… I really am very sorry. But when those doors close you’ll never see them open again.
ISOBEL: There’s always a way out.
MIKE: You can’t imagine what you’re walking into.
GUARD: Quiet! Get moving!
(They all walk through door. Camera follows them in. The gleaming white light fills screen.)
[CREDITS]
8. (Inside the bunker. Like Guard’s uniforms, the prison is spacious with a depersonalised institutionalised whiteness, the point where hospitals and shopping malls overlap. MORE GUARDS are inside as party walks in.)
INSIDE GUARD: No encounters?
FIRST GUARD: Just these two.
INSIDE GUARD: Let’s get them where they belong. (To the prisoners) Move!
DOCTOR (whispering, to ISOBEL): Are these the Barrow-Wights?
ISOBEL: I’ll tell yer when’s a good time t’ speak.
9. (Cells. There are four cage-like cells, two down each side of the room, in a cross between ‘Jailhouse Rock’ and a panopticon. Bars don’t quite reach floor. PETER and MAX are already in two cells, dressed like MIKE. As in every room, there’s a heroised picture of AIDAN STRIDE on wall, though at this point camera doesn’t linger on it. Door opens, MIKE enters, followed by ISOBEL, DOCTOR and the GUARD.)
MIKE (deadpan): Sorry guys, the shop was out of milk.
PETER: Never mind, I’ll pop out myself later.
GUARD: Shut up, all of you!
(GUARD places metal rod in slot by cell. Cell bars slides upwards. ISOBEL nudges DOCTOR, and indicates with her eyes.)
GUARD (to MIKE): In.
(MIKE saunters into cell.)
MIKE: Home sweet home.
GUARD: I said, shut up!
(GUARD takes rod and places alongside an empty cell. Bars raise as before.)
GUARD (to ISOBEL and DOCTOR): Looks like you two will be sharing.
ISOBEL (wearily): No’ again.
10. (Time dissolve. ISOBEL and the DOCTOR, now sitting in their cell.)
ISOBEL (to the DOCTOR): So, all this an’ nothin’ from your stick?
(THE DOCTOR pulls out sonic screwdriver. Taps it hard on the bars, and holds it up again. No action. Looks hopeless back at ISOBEL.)
ISOBEL: Fool thing only works when it wants t’.
(ISOBEL looks around, then settles on PETER in next cell.)
ISOBEL (calling): Hey!
(PETER looks up, disenchanted)
ISOBEL: Wha’ is this place?
(PETER ignores her)
ISOBEL: Some kind o’ prison, that seems clear enough. But what kind? Why’s it here?
PETER: Forget it.
ISOBEL: I’d like t’ know.
PETER (suddenly angry): Forget your foolish questions! Forget about any of it! Right now, they’re drawing up the correct paperwork that allows them to kill you! Because they’re not people who’d take anyone’s life away without filling in the right form first. And then you’re gone! The truth is, you’re no use to them. And you’re just as useless to us!
ISOBEL: I see. So… (Pulls road from her pocket, and holds it up) …y’ve no use for this, then?
(Suddenly interested, PETER gets up and walks to the bars of his cell, his eyes transfixed by rod.)
PETER: Where did you get that?
ISOBEL: Found it.
PETER: They didn’t search you?
ISOBEL: They nae bothered.
PETER (to himself): They didn’t consider you important enough.
ISOBEL (dryly): They weren’t the only ones.
PETER (reaching out, through bars): Let me have it.
(Defiantly, ISOBEL wraps her hand around it.)
ISOBEL: I’d like t’ oblige… but with me bein’ o’ no use…
(PETER thinks, mulling over this new info.)
PETER: Okay. It won’t be easy. Only their prints work on the main door. But we can use him.
(PETER points at DOCTOR.)
ISOBEL: Why him?
PETER: Because he’s so…
(PETER mimes doolalliness.)
PETER (to DOCTOR): No offence.
DOCTOR (cheerily): None taken.
PETER (eagerly): Then let’s do this…
(PETER signals to ISOBEL for metal bar. She hands it over.)
11. (Close-up on DOCTOR in cell, pretending to freak out.)
DOCTOR: Barrow-Wights… seeing Barrow-Wights… all around me… so much… white…
(Camera starts to pan out. ISOBEL is found squatting near him.)
ISOBEL (calming voice): Now Doctor, you’re havin’ one o’ yer turns again… listen to me now…
GUARD (approaching): What’s up with him?
ISOBEL: You didn’t let me bring his medicine! He needs his medicine.
GUARD: Tough luck. You’re both dying anyway.
(GUARD turns to move away. PETER looks imploringly at ISOBEL. She thinks hard.)
ISOBEL: Water! Can you get me some water? That can help.
GUARD (suspicious): How is water medicine?
ISOBEL: How should I know? It just seems to help!
(GUARD hesitates.)
GUARD: Very well.
(GUARD goes to water dispenser and gets plastic cup. He returns to the cell. ISOBEL moves over to collect it.)
GUARD: Stay where you are! I’ll tell you when you can move.
(GUARD reaches a short way through bars and places the cup on the floor. As he does, PETER uses rod to silently let himself out of his cell. GUARD starts to back away, still looking at ISOBEL. He starts to turn around. She makes a slight movement.)
GUARD (to ISOBEL): Stay, I said!
(PETER creeps up behind GUARD. At last second DOCTOR looks over to him, GUARD spots this and turns. GUARD and PETER both go for his raygun at the same time, which gets de-holstered and raised up. Gun falls to the floor, then is accidentally kicked. It flies over, under bars of cage, to DOCTOR’s feet. He looks at it, frozen.)
MIKE (agitated): Over here! Over here!
(DOCTOR remains frozen. GUARD mages to push PETER over and rushes for gun. He reaches through bars, but it’s too far.)
GUARD: Give that to me.
(ISOBEL picks up gun by barrel, and moves to give it to the guard. At the last second she drops gun and instead grabs his outstretched arm, which she yanks so he crashes into the bars. She then kicks gun over to PETER. He comes over and levels it at GUARD.)
PETER: Now, you may want to think about opening that door.
(GUARD moves to main door, followed by PETER.)
MAX: Hey, us too!
(PETER turns quickly, and throws him the rod. Just as he does, GUARD presses a button on the pad near door. An alarm starts up. PETER shoots the GUARD then, before he can fully fall, holds his hand up to a pad by the door. Door slides open. MAX rushes up.)
MAX: Well that’s the element of surprise gone.
PETER: And our hostage. But we work with what we get. Let’s go…
(MAX turns and throws the rod to MIKE. MAX and PETER then walk out the room. MIKE opens his door and goes to follow.)
ISOBEL (urgently): What are you doin’? Open our doors.
(MIKE hesitates before their cells.)
PETER (calling from off): Come on!
ISOBEL: Who got you out, eh?
PETER (from off): Now!
(MIKE places the rod by their cell door then, without waiting for it to fully open, runs off after the others.)
12. (Long corridor. PRISONERS rush out a door, and run off down it. A few seconds later, DOCTOR and ISOBEL follow.)
GUARD (from off): Halt!
(They stop, raise arms in surrender. GUARD approaches from behind them, gun raised.)
GUARD: Turn.
(They turn to face him.)
GUARD: Stay still.
ISOBEL: Look, d’yer have to point that thing at us? We’re not your target, are we? Me just a girl and him a wee slip o’ a thing.
(GUARD relaxes a little, marginally lowers gun)
GUARD: Okay, but you’d better not try…
(ISOBEL swiftly punches him out, and turns away without a second glance.)
ISOBEL: This way.
(DOCTOR remains, standing somewhat stupefied over GUARD’s prone body. ISOBEL grabs his arm.)
ISOBEL: Come on! This is no time f’ yer idlin’!
13. (Another stretch of corridor. Partition screen slides up. PRISONERS move in, each pointing a gun in a separate direction, in synchronised fashion.)
PRISONERS (in near-unison): Clear!
(PRISONERS rush forwards, guns upraised and eyes alert.)
(Beat.)
(DOCTOR and ISOBEL enter, intently arguing with one another.)
DOCTOR: All I’m saying is, you can’t just go round the place hitting people.
ISOBEL (crossly): An’ would it be too much t’ ask for you to do a wee job o’ work one in a while? Oh no, when there’s stuff t’ be done, leave it all t’ Isobel!
PETER (crossly calling back): Could you two keep it down?
ISOBEL (crossly snapping back): What?
PETER: We’re trying to escape from a high-security institution. It would be good to be able to focus.
ISOBEL: Well, go on then. Focus!
MAX (quietly, to PETER): We can’t take these two. They’re a liability.
(ISOBEL storms up to MAX, and faces him off.)
ISOBEL: Don’t even think you’re gettin’ shot o’ us!
14. (Corridor. GUARD standing on duty. PETER sneaks up behind him, and points gun at his head.)
PETER (sotto voice): Just do as I say.
(OTHER PRISONERS come up behind.)
PETER (to MAX, sotto voice): Take his gun.
(MAX does.)
PETER (sotto voice): Move!
MAX (sotto voice): We should just shoot him.
PETER (sotto voice): Too loud. And we may need him for…
(They walk round corner and into a group of GUARDS. Everyone stands surprised for a second.)
PETER (to GUARDS, brandishing gun): Do what I say or…
(GUARDS draw and start firing. CAPTIVE GUARD is hit in shoulder. PETER pulls him back round corner.)
PETER (to MAX): Well, it was worth a try.
MIKE: Time to beat a retreat.
(They all move back down corridor. MAX watches behind them, PETER and MIKE looking ahead.)
MIKE: There’s a Security door. We’ll need to get to it before…
(Quick cut to GUARD slamming his fist down on a button, in an open wall panel.)
(Partition screen comes down quickly, ahead of them.)
PETER: Well that went well.
(DOCTOR looks about to speak. ISOBEL glares at him reproachfully, and he stays silent. PETER looks around, spies a door.)
PETER: Okay, it has to be that door.
(PRISONERS run up to it.)
ISOBEL: What’s in there?
PETER: How should I know? (To GUARD) You, make yourself useful.
(With a gun to his head, GUARD palm-prints the door panel, and all walk in.)
15. (Inside of room. Tight focus on group as they come in door. PETER shoots the control panel next to door.)
PETER: That’ll give us a few minutes at most.
(They look into room. It’s a well kitted out conference room, with large conference table in the centre. A jug of water, glasses, stacked cups and coasters, jars of sugar sachets and complementary biscuits on a plate. A picture of Stride, larger than normal, lies at its head.)
DOCTOR: We may as well be seated.
(All go to sit down, MAX with gun pointedly targeted on GUARD. ISOBEL notices water jug on table, and starts to pour glasses, which she passes down table. She starts to push one towards the GUARD.)
MAX: You’re not giving him some?
ISOBEL: I am so.
(GUARD goes to take cup, then winces from injury in his shoulder. He puts his hand to it.)
ISOBEL: This man’s injured.
(ISOBEL gets up from table. MAX jumps up quickly, his chair falling over backwards, and stands between them.)
MAX: Leave him! They’d do no more for us.
ISOBEL (coolly): Is that a fact, now?
MAX: His own kind shot him.
GUARD (defiantly): We don’t negotiate with terrorists.
ISOBEL (to GUARD): And no-one asked for your opinion either.
(MIKE also stands, and comes over.)
MIKE: Don’t recognise him, then? He was there when they captured you. He wanted you shot on sight.
ISOBEL: He’s still injured.
GUARD: Save your breath. They won’t listen.
ISOBEL: I plan on doin’ some not listenin’ o’ me own.
MAX: Leave him.
ISOBEL: I’a nurse. Nurses do nursin’. If you’ve nothing useful to do yerself, just keep out the way.
(ISOBEL starts to move around MAX. He pointedly blocks her.)
MAX (icily): I won’t be telling you twice.
(ISOBEL stares directly and intently back at MAX.)
ISOBEL (coolly): Now that is something we’re agreed upon.
(MAX looks to PETER and MIKE for support. They’re revealed to have been watching with some amusement.)
PETER (laughing): Now her I could see fitting in here.
MIKE: Motion seconded.
(PETER and MIKE mock-toast with their water cups. ISOBEL moves past an infuriated but flummoxed MAX to examine GUARD.)
ISOBEL (firmly): Show me.
16. (Corridor. Multiple GUARDS stand, silent and grim, large weapons aimed at door of conference room. More arrive, who are gestured silently into position.)
17. (Conference room. They’re now all sitting round table, in silence.)
PETER: What are your names, anyway?
ISOBEL: I’m Isobel. He’s the Doctor.
PETER: Peter. (Pointing) That’s Mike… (pointing) …and over there in the cheap seats we have Max.
MAX (sourly): Hilarious.
ISOBEL: Those are nae funny names.
PETER (amused): Should they be?
ISOBEL: I was expectin’ alien names. I dunno, Blorg, or somethin’.
(This causes amusement.)
ISOBEL: Isn’t that what all o’ this is? All the space stuff.
PETER (still amused, to the others): Hear that? We’re aliens. (To ISOBEL) What planet, would you say?
ISOBEL (indignant): How should I know what planet? I’ve only been to Dunbeath the once…. Mars, it’ll be Mars. It’s always Mars.
MAX (contemptuously): There’s no life on Mars! Just the ruins.
PETER: They don’t know about the ruins yet.
DOCTOR: Ah! You are from the future.
PETER (looking round, impressed): Not so spacey after all. Yes, for us the past is our penal colony.
DOCTOR: That’s why there was no signal from my stick. There’s nothing alien here. Just futuristic.
ISOBEL (incredulous): They went to the past… just to build you all a prison?
PETER: That’s about it, yes. No digging a tunnel home for us. Besides, this way they build just one prison for us, and still get to keep most of us apart.
(ISOBEL looks quizzical.)
PETER: I’ll show you.
(PETER takes stack of cups and lays some out in a line.)
PETER: We’re separated into time zones like prison blocks. Dump some…. (He drops pens into cups) …in the Twenty-Second century. Dump some in the Twenty-First, the Twentieth, the Nineteenth… We don’t know how far back it goes.
DOCTOR (to ISOBEL): The barrow-wight legends.
ISOBEL: Aye, hearin’ strange sounds from the barrow. Goin’ back through the generations.
DOCTOR: They said you’re terrorists. Is that true?
MAX (tetchily): Oh, here we go.
PETER: It’s not. In our time, your future, things are different. There’s an all-powerful government. They don’t tolerate any dissent.
ISOBEL (sardonically): That’s no’ soundin’ so differen’.
PETER: You haven’t seen it.
GUARD: This is the tale you’re telling them, is it?
MAX: You’d have shot these people on sight. You think they’ll listen to you now?
(GUARD glares back. PETER points to propaganda picture of AIDAN STRIDE on wall.)
PETER: See him? He’s the spider of this web. The more technology developed, the more the planet became despoiled. These… (lays out some cups on the table) …are the cities, and these… (holds up a sugar sachet) …the people. (scatters a few sugar sachets on the table) There came to be less and less cities you could actually live in, without being fried or drowned. (Pushes some of the cups away) So the less places people could live, the more refugees. (Pushes sachets towards remaining cups) The more refugees, the more cities built walls round themselves, became defensive citadels. (Places a pile of coasters under one cup, raising it) So the more people tried to break in. (Pushes sachets into side of coasters) And the more cities fought between themselves, for what resources were left. (Clinks two cups together) It was a vicious circle, perhaps the most vicious ever seen. Finally our exalted leader up there… (points up to portrait without looking at it) …comes marching in, promising to unite the Earth. Under him, naturally. Everything neatly laid out. (Places a couple of sachets in each cup) Some welcomed the order he brought, I don’t deny it. The rest of us have been fighting to be rid of him, ever since. Anyway, that’s the future for you. (Looks up to picture of Stride) That about covered it?
(Pause.)
DOCTOR: Okay then, I’ll help you.
PETER (amused): Very kind of you. How exactly? Do you know of a way out?
DOCTOR: What about we don’t try and get out? What if we try to get in?
MAX (irritated): What are you even on about?
DOCTOR: There’s a time transmitter, am I right? There has to be for you to be here. (gestures) We go there.
MAX (exasperated): Brilliant! And then what?
ISOBEL (struck by an idea): We could go back… right back. Before this place was even built. Nae Guards, nae cells, nae bunker. Just walk right out.
PETER: Can’t be done.
ISOBEL: And why not?
PETER: You can’t travel past the point where a time station’s been built. No getting off the train without a station. But we could pick another time. Take the guards there by surprise. Try to spring our comrades. Then another time, try to do it again…
DOCTOR: No, we need to go to the future.
PETER: That’d be from the frying pan to the fire. We land in the future, there’ll be more guards there than here.
DOCTOR: I’ve an idea for that.
PETER (amused): An idea.
DOCTOR (brightly): Yes.
PETER: Care to share it?
DOCTOR: Trust me.
PETER (to ISOBEL): And he’s with you?
ISOBEL: Technically.
MIKE: It’s all moot anyway, as there’s no way out of this room.
DOCTOR: I’ve a plan for that too.
PETER: Aren’t you just full of plans? Feel like sharing this one?
DOCTOR: It’s just over there.
18. (View from ventilator shaft into room. PETER is finishing unscrewing panel over shaft. He looks into shaft, DOCTOR next to him and MIKE behind.)
DOCTOR (frustrated): Well, how are we supposed to crawl through something that size?
PETER: I don’t think that you are.
MAX: Maybe they made it that small so we couldn’t crawl through it. This being, you know, a prison and all.
DOCTOR (tetchy): Well I suppose there is that.
PETER (wearily): Okay, any ideas that aren’t completely stupid?
19. (Time dissolve. Everyone sits in glum silence around conference table. MAX idly pushes his gun around the table in front of him. ISOBEL tries a bite of a biscuit. She makes a sour face and throws the rest down.)
ISOBEL: These future biscuits taste awful.
PETER: This future tastes awful.
(Pause.)
GUARD: It won’t be long now, before they spring that door.
MIKE: Give it a rest, will you?
PETER (to MAX): Keep that thing handy. He may well be right.
DOCTOR (to MAX): Could I take a look at that?
MAX (surprised): What, this?
(MAX looks to the others. PETER nods. He passes the gun to THE DOCTOR.)
MAX: Be careful with it.
(THE DOCTOR starts to examine it.)
MAX: You won’t understand the workings. They’re from the…
(THE DOCTOR, fixed on the gun, turns a dial on the handle.)
DOCTOR: What does this do?
(There’s a sudden, urgent beeping sound. MAX, alarmed, involuntarily reaches for the gun.)
MAX: No, you can’t…
DOCTOR (still focused on gun): Can’t what?
MAX (urgently): You can’t leave that on full without discharging. It’ll overload.
DOCTOR (still focused on gun): And then? Might it explode?
MAX (more urgently, reaching out for gun): Yes, yes it will! Now let me…
DOCTOR: I see.
(DOCTOR turns dial back down, and the beeping stops. He looks up and beams.)
DOCTOR: So…
(DOCTOR gets up and places gun next to wall, beneath picture of Stride.)
DOCTOR: …if I were to put this here.
(DOCTOR looks back at others.)
DOCTOR: Perhaps we could be behind the table?
(PETER nods to the others. They lift table up, and shelter behind it. DOCTOR turns dial back up on gun, then goes behind table with the others. They wait.)
DOCTOR: How long would you say before..?
(Explosion. They look out, but at first there’s too much smoke. Then a hole in the wall is revealed.)
MIKE: Now, would you look at that?
PETER: Right, we’re going now. (Levelling gun at GUARD) You first.
(They all go through the hole. Last one left is MAX.)
MAX: But why did it have to be my gun?
(No answer comes back. MAX follows through the hole.)
MAX: I said…
