| abstract
| - Script for Shadow by Chris Boucher (c) 1978 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Series created by Terry Nation. This is a complete dialogue transcript for research purposes and is not for sale under any circumstances. Format (c) 1992 by Susan Hill and Micky DuPree. Dramatis Personae Roj Blake Kerr Avon Jenna Stannis Vila Restal Cally Oleg Gan Zen Orac Bek Hanna Largo The Enforcer The Chairman [Space City. In Largo's quarters. Largo sits crosslegged on a platform. Bek and Hanna, dressed poorly, stand in front of him.] LARGO [Examining a pouch of gems] You did well. BEK The owner didn't think so. LARGO Did you kill him? BEK Were we supposed to? LARGO It's tidier. BEK Well, it's easy to be tidy from where you sit, Largo. LARGO Don't get clever, dream head. HANNA That wasn't the deal. LARGO The deal was whatever I say it was. [Removes clear cover of container, selects one of the small balls of golden liquid] I own you, dreamheads. [Hanna crawls reaches for the ball. Largo keeps it out of reach] Unhuhhhh. What do you say? HANNA Please, Largo. LARGO Awwww, come on, you need it more than that. HANNA Please, Largo. LARGO Pure shadow. You won't just die without it, you'll die in terrified agony.[Sets ball on platform. Hanna stretches for it] HANNA Please. LARGO Gooood. All right. [Shoves her roughly off platfom] LARGO I want your brother to ask for it. [Picks ball up.Bek extends his hand] One word from me, and your supply is gone -- forever. BEK You've been paid. LARGO Prove it. BEK I thought that honor was a big thing with the Terra Nostra. LARGO We own you, boy. BEK Please, Largo. Please.[Bek moves forward slowly] LARGO That's better. We owned you from your first tiny drop of shadow. BEK [Picks up Largo's gun] Use shadow? Do I look that stupid? [Largo moves] Oh, try it! HANNA There are the two he promised... BEK Hanna. Enough. The gems. [Hanna puts the gems in their bag] LARGO Nobody steals from the Terra Nostra. BEK We're innovators. LARGO You're dead. BEK Out, Hanna. Casual, don't run. [To Largo] Face down, Largo. Quickly. Quickly! Now close your eyes. [Largo complies.] Now stay like that. [As he leaves he drops a cylindar into a receptacle. After the door closes Largo starts to raise his leg. As he does a voice begins] BEK [V.O.] Go ahead and try it. Killing a Terra Nostra pusher will be the best fun I've had all day. You stupid murdering scumball. [Hallway of Space City. Bek comes panting to Hanna] HANNA They'll catch us. BEK Get Peety meet me at launch grid six in twenty minutes. HANNA Nobody gets away from them. BEK We will. Look, I can get a ship. HANNA Launch clearance, what about launch clearance? BEK The crew on grid six are for sale. HANNA It's too late for that. BEK Hanna, she told me to look after you and Peety. That's what I'm trying to do. Grid six, twenty minutes. Right? Right? HANNA Right. [They exit in different directions. Liberator comes into view through the port] [Flight deck of the Liberator] JENNA Approach completed. GAN All vectors are matched and holding CALLY Power down..now. JENNA Switching to automatics. ZEN Confirmed. All systems functioning. Status is firm. GAN [Looking at the screen] Very pretty. JENNA I know. Piloting wasn't bad either. BLAKE So. That is Space City. VILA Also known as the satellite of sin. AVON By whom? VILA Me. AVON It had to be someone of limited imagination. VILA Pick a pleasure, any pleasure. JENNA And you'll find it for sale in Space City. BLAKE If you've got the money. VILA But we have, we have. GAN And if you can stomach doing business with the Terra Nostra. BLAKE We're going to use them, Gan, not do business with them. AVON A subtle distinction that escapes me for the moment. BLAKE Now don't tell me you have a moral objection to using their organization to infiltrate Earth? AVON Of course not. GAN Well, I have. BLAKE Think, Gan, think what they've got: men, material, information. Think what we could do with a fraction of the resources they control. GAN No, YOU think, Blake. Think what it is they control. Everything dirty, degrading, and cruel on just about every colonized world. BLAKE Earth is all I'm interested in. VILA The Terra Nostra aren't responsible for everything, Gan. I could go and murder somebody now and it wouldn't be their fault. Mind you, if I picked his pocket afterwards they'd want their cut. AVON It's largely academic anyway. I don't think we'll get within shouting distance of them. VILA The Terra Nostra run Space City. CALLY How can you be sure of that? You say they're a criminal organization who work in secret. BLAKE They work in secret on Earth and the Federated worlds. GAN Organizing crime. BLAKE Space City itself is neutral territory. Not officially owned by the Terra Nostra but it's an open secret. CALLY A neutral base for an outlawed organization? BLAKE Well, presumably it has its uses. VILA Entertainment, for example JENNA Why don't you take a cold shower or something? VILA And risk being left behind when we go and meet your friend? JENNA Largo's no friend of mine. When I met him on Callisto he forgot to mention he was a member of the organization. Just said he wanted me to run a cargo into Earth. He didn't tell me what it was at first. GAN Drugs? JENNA Shadow. I turned him down. AVON Very sensible. Possession carries a mandatory death sentence. JENNA That wasn't the reason. ZEN Navigation computers are receiving interrogation signal from Space City traffic approach control. BLAKE It's about time. Request standoff position. Cally, stand by on the teleport. Jenna, get on the communicator and see if you can contact your friend Largo. Gan, Avon, get ready as well. ZEN Vector coordinates received and laid in. BLAKE Execute. VILA Er, what about me? BLAKE You're staying here. VILA What? BLAKE Where I can find you if I need you. VILA But that's Space City, one of my all-time great ambitions. BLAKE You'd probably be disappointed. VILA I'll take that chance. BLAKE I would never forgive myself, Vila. [Compartment in Space City. Hanna is sitting next to a pile of silvery cloth, staring into space] BEK Hanna, twenty minutes I said. That launch crew goes off shift in an hour. Well we may not get another chance. Where is Peety? [Hanna turns her head toward the silvery cloth] BEK How? How? [Grabs one of the golden balls] That's how! HANNA He didn't take any more. He didn't need another dose for twelve hours, at least twelve hours. He just ... just died. BEK Just died. That's what shadow does. It kills you! HANNA Think I don't know that? BEK Well then why? Why so stupid, Hanna? Stupid. Stupid Peety. [Lifts cloth and looks at body] Look after you. HANNA Not your fault. BEK Largo. [starts to get up] HANNA Bek? [clutches Bek] BEK What? HANNA It won't help Peety. BEK It'll help me. HANNA What about me? BEK [Door behind them opens. Enforcer enters with a gun.] You? It's too late, remember. You're already dead, like Peety. ENFORCER [Stands in door pointing gun with both hands] Must run in the family. Shed the gun. Largo wants you two, very badly. [Flight deck of the Liberator] VILA Blake's wrong. CALLY I know how you feel, Vila VILA I don't mean about leaving me behind. I've wanted to visit Space City ever since I was old enough to read the graffiti in the Juvenile Detention Wards. But I'm not talking about that, I don't care about that. CALLY No, of course not. VILA I don't! CALLY Am I arguing? VILA I'm talking about his great plan to enlist the help of the Terra Nostra. CALLY He plans to buy their help. VILA All right, buy their help. It still won't work. CALLY Well, you should have spoken before. VILA Who listens to me, ever. Does anyone ever listen to me? I'm telling you, it'll be a disaster. CALLY Relax. VILA You don't know them. CALLY Well, I know Blake. VILA Thinks of himself as a hard man. Hard? He's strictly a fluffy-cheeked amateur compared to those boys. CALLY I think Blake can look after himself. VILA He's led a very sheltered life. CALLY What, Blake has led a sheltered life? VILA Look, he was an Alpha grade on Earth. A highly privileged group, the Alphas. Wouldn't last five minutes among the Delta service grades where I grew up. And it's the service grades where the Terra Nostra really operate. Without anesthetic, usually. CALLY No, Vila. VILA No what? CALLY No, I am not going to operate the teleport for you. VILA I don't understand. CALLY I do. You're about to suggest it would be a sensible idea if you went across and gave the others the benefit of your experience. VILA I hadn't thought of that. What a very good idea, Cally. CALLY No. VILA Cally? CALLY I'm going to get myself something to drink. Call me if anything happens. [Exits] VILA Miserable alien. I just want to see what it's like. ZEN Information. Main visual is available. [displays Space City on screen.] VILA So? ZEN You expressed a desire to see what it is like. VILA Very funny, Zen. Chuckle chuckle. If you were a decent computer you'd be able to operate the teleport system like Orac can. Like Orac can! Key, key, ah key. [Inserts Key] Orac? Orac? Are you in there, Orac? ORAC Am I in where? What precisely do you imagine I am? Some sort of tame rodent in a cage? VILA That's precisely what I imagine you are. A rat in a box. ORAC I see no point in continuing this conversation. VILA Now, don't start sulking again, or I shall switch you off and throw away the key. ORAC Soon, that will be no longer a problem. VILA Ay? ORAC Well? What do you want? VILA Orac, I've got a little job for you. [Hall of Space City. Gan has his bracelet raised, pressing the communicator button] AVON [V.O.] I don't think that at this stage you really need to know specific details of our plans, do you? LARGO [V.O.] As you say. [In Largo's quarters] AVON In effect, we want to buy cooperation and expertise from the Earth-based network. LARGO Oh. Why are you telling me all this? JENNA We don't know who rules the Terra Nostra. Possibly you don't either. But you do know how to get our proposition to them. [Jenna is keeping her finger on the communication button to keep the channel open] LARGO A go-between. AVON Naturally, we would be prepared to pay for your services. LARGO [Chuckles] Forgive me, Blake, but one of the reasons I made my home in a free city like this is because I adore eccentrics. JENNA Do we take it that you're not interested? LARGO Oh, I'm fascinated. But I'm just an independent businessman. AVON [Takes two gems from a bag, lays them on Largo's platform] Are you sure? LARGO Look, the Terra Nostra doesn't exist. Believe me, it's a..a..phantom. JENNA A shadow? LARGO A myth, a legend. JENNA It's a legend a lot of people believe in. AVON And yet you know it doesn't exist? Why are you so certain? LARGO I've got a contact in Federation Security. If the syndicate existed, then he'd know about it, wouldn't he? JENNA This contact, he wouldn't be the one who arrested me after I refused your cargo, would he? LARGO Oh, that was a mistake, Jenna. I was doing a favor for a friend. If I'd known what the cargo was I wouldn't have touched it myself. AVON You didn't answer the question. LARGO Why do I feel as if I'm on trial here, um? AVON Why do I feel as if you should be? [Scoops the gems back up] LARGO They're beautiful stones. I'm a bit of a collector, in a modest way. I could make you an offer. AVON They have a sentimental value for me. LARGO Oh, family heirlooms, eh? AVON No, I'm just sentimental about money. [Turns back to Blake] We're wasting our time with him. BLAKE Yes, I think so. [Rises. Snaps his fingers. Avon reluctantly hands over the gems.] BLAKE Shall we go? [to Largo] I'm sorry we couldn't do business. LARGO Let me at least offer you some refreshment. JENNA We didn't come for refreshment, Largo. LARGO Oh, but I insist. [Enforcer enters, points a gun at the group] ENFORCER He insists. BLAKE Maybe we should have listened to Gan.[Cut to Gan. A gun appears next to his head] Looks as though he was right after all. LARGO Communicators please. And those. Thank you. [Largo collects bracelets and guns. Jenna tries to keep her bracelet with the communication channel open. Largo strikes her on the shoulder,grabs her arm and takes bracelet from her.] LARGO Amateur! [Gan stumbles in] A pro keeps it simple. [Flight deck of the Liberator] CALLY Vila? Vila? Zen, where is he? I left him on watch. ZEN He is no longer on the ship. CALLY But he must be. ZEN He teleported into the city with the assistance of the one called Orac. CALLY I forgot about Orac. ZEN The one called Orac is not concerned for the safety of the Liberator. CALLY Well where is Orac then? He's not in the teleport section; I just came from there. ZEN In return for the remote activation of the teleport system, Vila conveyed the one called Orac to another part of the Liberator. CALLY Which part, where? ORAC Be silent. [Deck and Zen go dark for a moment, lights come back, but Zen does not] CALLY Orac? Zen? Zen! [Cally opens communication channel from the central console] CALLY Vila, this is Cally. Come in please. Vila! VILA [V.O., dreamily] What do you want, Cally? CALLY I want you back here. Get ready to teleport. VILA Wasting your time, Cally. I'm not wearing a bracelet. I'm not going to be snatched away in the middle of...in the middle of anything. Sightseeing. And you should see some of the sights I'm seeing. No. Perhaps you shouldn't. CALLY Where is Orac. VILA [V.O.] Promised not to tell. I never break a promise. CALLY Oh yes, you do. VILA [V.O.] Almost never. Orac's all right. He can't run away. CALLY Oh, you fool, Vila. VILA Stop worrying, Cally. I'll be back soon. Tell you what, I'll bring you back a present. What would you like, Cally? Name it and it's yours. CALLY A necklace, Vila, made from your teeth. [Cally looks for Orac in Liberator corridors] ORAC No. CALLY Orac? ORAC I will destroy the life support system if you attempt to find me. CALLY Why are you doing this? [Largo's lockup in Space City. Gan and Avon are examining the door. Bek and Hanna are on the floor] GAN I don't think even Vila could open that. I wonder what they'll do? AVON A pro keeps it simple. I imagine they'll kill us. You can't get much simpler than that. GAN Sorry, Avon. AVON That makes all the difference. GAN I don't know how they spotted me. BEK 'I don't know how they spotted me.' [Hanna giggles] AVON [Kneels by Hanna] Something amuses you? BEK You were using him as a lookout? I mean, he'd really blend into the background, wouldn't he? What did you do, put up a sign? AVON Is that what you did or is Largo keeping you here as a favor? HANNA We made a fool of him. AVON Obviously. HANNA That's why we haven't been killed yet. He's making an example of us. BEK Oh, shut up Hanna, Its none of their business. GAN Isn't it? I mean if they're making an example of you... BEK It's not for outsiders. You don't know much about the Terra Nostra, do you? AVON Do you? BEK Leave her alone. We are an object lesson for their own people. Largo's on his way up in the organization. One sign of weakness and he'll be on his way down again, probably minus his head. GAN Now there's a happy thought. AVON It's a pity we won't live to see it. GAN We're not dead yet. AVON Largo hasn't got what he wants yet. [Flight deck of the Liberator] BLAKE [v.o.] Liberator, this is Blake. Come in please. CALLY Blake, this is Cally. We have a problem. BLAKE [v.o.] Later, Cally, this is more important. We've made a deal but we need the rest of the money as a demonstration of good faith. They don't entirely trust us yet. Have...Zen collect it and bring in across. CALLY All the money? [Largo's quarters. Largo holds bracelet for Blake] BLAKE Yes, Cally, all of it. LARGO Ah, it's a trick. Kill him. BLAKE Wait a minute. Why do you think it's a trick? LARGO You think I'm a fool. Zen can't leave your ship. Your shuttlecraft is here in the city. BLAKE We carry more than one shuttle. LARGO How many? BLAKE Four. LARGO Four. [Into bracelet] Cally, this is Largo. CALLY [v. o.] Yes. LARGO Shall we send your shuttle back or one of ours? CALLY [v.o.] Neither. It is not necessary. LARGO Why not? CALLY We have another shuttle. LARGO Another shuttle. Quite a ship. How many shuttles do you carry? CALLY He's testing me. Probably too far away.[Touches forehead. V.O.] Blake, Blake, I shall count. When I reach the right number, call my name. One, two, three, four. BLAKE Cally, are you still there? CALLY Sorry, what did you ask? LARGO I was just wondering how many shuttles you carry. CALLY Four. Does it matter? LARGO We'll be expecting your man, Zen. CALLY Right. LARGO [aside] And he won't be expecting us. We shan't be needing his other two friends after all. Kill 'em. ENFORCER What about her? [Points gun at Jenna] LARGO We'll..keep her till we're sure. [Flight deck of the Liberator] CALLY Orac, I need Zen. I will ask no questions. Zen, put the battle computers on line. [Zen's lights come on] Put up the force wall, activate the radiation flare shield, and clear the neutron blasters for firing. ZEN Completed. Neutron blasters are cleared for firing. CALLY Open up a voice channel to the city's central control. ZEN Confirmed. VOICE [v.o.] Central control, central control. Go ahead. CALLY This is the weaponry officer on the battle cruiser Liberator. VOICE [v.o.]Duty officer, your computer took a priority channel. Whatever you want had better be important. CALLY Four of my friends are being held prisoner in your city. Unless you release them immediately I shall open fire on you. VOICE [v.o.] Listen, lady. You shouldn't drink in those cheap dives. You go blind eventually. CALLY Zen, report battle computer status to central control. ZEN Confirmed. VOICE [v.o. ] All right. So you're at battle stations. You don't expect us to believe that you'd.. CALLY A man called Largo is holding my friends. You have six minutes to release them. VOICE You can't be serious. CALLY I was never more so. You have five minutes and fifty- five seconds. ZEN Detectors report high speed approach. CALLY Scan. ZEN Gun ship. It is manoeuvering for attack position. CALLY Warn them off. ZEN Warning ignored. CALLY Compute coordinates, range blasters. ZEN Blasters ranged. CALLY Warn them again. ZEN Warning ignored. They are pressing their attack. CALLY I gave them a chance. [Fires. Ship explodes] VOICE [v.o.] Hold your fire! CALLY Central, the next shot will be right down your throats. You have three minutes and thirty seconds. [Largo's lockup] ENFORCER You two, out. [Waves gun at Avon and Gan] AVON Why? ENFORCER You'd prefer not to know. AVON Your professional simplicity is beginning to irritate me. ENFORCER Well think of it as a temporary problem. Move. [Bek and Hanna laugh, then move away, distracting the enforcer. Avon and Gan hit him over the head] GAN [To enforcer] Simple enough for you? HANNA Don't stand around. There's more where he came from. [Largo's quarters. Largo is holding a gun on Blake and Jenna. Gan and Avon burst in; Avon has the enforcer's gun. Blake kicks Largo and Gan gives him a chop to the neck. Gan hurries to Jenna. Avon goes to Blake, still holding the gun. One-handed he picks up the handcuff keys, unlocks Blake.] BLAKE Your sense of timing is as impeccable as ever. AVON I have always admired your patience. [Avon flips the handcuff keys to Gan.] GAN Are you all right Jenna? JENNA What does it look like? [Hanna and Bek enter. Bek starts to pick up Largo's gun.] BLAKE [To Bek] Leave it! [Avon holds a gun on Bek. Communicator chimes] BLAKE [into communicator] Largo. VOICE Central. You're holding prisoners. Release them. BLAKE What? VOICE There's a lunatic woman threatening to destroy the city. Get those people back to their ship. BLAKE Must I? [Smiles] VOICE Do it, Largo. JENNA I think we've outstayed our welcome. BLAKE [into bracelet] All right, Cally. We're ready to come across. [Gan and Avon join them for teleportation. Avon still holds a gun on Bek and Hanna] BEK We'll come with you. BLAKE I'm sorry. BEK Sorry? Polite but inadequate. [Raises gun] We can't stay here, so you're not going to leave without us. [Blake, Avon, Jenna and Gan teleport] HANNA I think they went without us. BEK There's gratitude for you. HANNA Gratitude. You point a gun at them and expect gratitude? Maybe we could use him as a hostage? [indicates Largo] BEK Him? After his foul-up you won't get a drink of water in exchange for him. [Bek aims gun at Largo on the floor. Blake materializes] BLAKE I changed my mind. BEK Why? HANNA Do we care? BLAKE Put these on. [Hands them bracelets] BEK What's in it for you? BLAKE You can help me with one of my crew. His name's Vila and he's suffering from a bad attack of alcoholic remorse. [Into bracelet] All right, Cally. [To them] He wants to make a necklace of his teeth. [Flight deck of the Liberator. Bek stands at pilot station with Jenna] BLAKE No effect on the flight systems. JENNA Everything seems normal enough. Maybe she imagined it. BLAKE That's not like Cally. JENNA Not like Orac either. BLAKE [As Gan and Avon enter] Any luck? GAN Can't find Orac. Even tried calling his name. AVON Oh, I'm sorry I missed that. It's the kind of natural stupidity no amount of training could ever hope to match. BLAKE You found Orac? AVON No, but then I never really expected to. It is one of Vila's more elaborate practical jokes. BLAKE Talking of Vila, how long before he comes round? BEK Oh, several hours. And he won't feel much like laughing when he does. BLAKE Oh, I'll guarantee that. All right, we've wasted enough time on it. Let's get back to the Terra Nostra. GAN Back? We only just managed to get away from them. BLAKE We chose the wrong approach, that's all. GAN Is that all? I thought maybe we'd chosen the wrong people to get involved with. AVON WE chose the wrong approach? BLAKE I chose the wrong approach. Does it matter? AVON Yes, it does. BLAKE All right, Avon. You were right and I was wrong. You said persuasion wouldn't work and it didn't. So now we use force. AVON Force? Yes, of course. Law makers, law breakers, let us fight them all. Why not? BLAKE The Terra Nostra's wealth comes from organizing and controlling all sorts of crime. But their biggest profits and a lot of their control comes from one area. JENNA Shadow. BLAKE That is the only one that matters. That is what we attack. AVON And how do you propose to go about it? Where would we get the information we would need? BLAKE Bek, would you ask your sister to join us. please? CALLY [V.O.] Blake. BLAKE Yes, Cally. CALLY Has anyone found Orac yet? BLAKE [V.O] No,I think we'll have to wait for Vila. CALLY Well, there may not be time for that. BLAKE [V.O.] Well, has something else happened? CALLY No, not exactly. BLAKE Well what exactly? CALLY A..a feeling I have. BLAKE Come back to the flight deck. CALLY [V.O] I should keep on searching. BLAKE Leave it, Cally. CALLY Yes. [Breaks link] Orac? [Turns into another corridor] ORAC I warned you not to look for me. [Cally is drawn mentally into Orac.] [Space City. Largo talks with Chairman over wall comm. Chairman is seen on screen, playing with a spider in a clear tank as he speaks] LARGO I know where to look for them, chairman. CHAIRMAN Only your stupidity makes it necessary to look for them. LARGO I had to ensure that they took my agent with them. When she is reporting on their movements I'll follow them and capture them. CHAIRMAN So. LARGO Chairman, the rewards will be threefold. The money they are carrying, which is substantial; the bounty from the authorities, which is also substantial, and more important of all, the demonstration that we can punish where the Federation itself can't even reach. CHAIRMAN Very well, Largo, a heavy cruiser will be at your disposal, but don't delay it too long or the rewards will be one-fold: the demonstration that we can punish. LARGO I thank you for your confidence, Chairman. CHAIRMAN Largo, that is too small a thing to thank me for. [he closes the communication connection] LARGO You'll pay for that. ENFORCER Before or after he finds out that you are lying. LARGO Was I lying? ENFORCER It would make me very unhappy to think that you tried to use me, like some fool. LARGO You're just an enforcer. You've a gun at your brain. Of course I was lying. Except about the girl. ENFORCER She's not your agent. LARGO Ohh, but she is. That dreamhead is going to tell us exactly where Blake and his friends decide to go. [Flight deck of the Liberator. A small ball of shadow is in Zen's analysis dome] BLAKE Don't worry. HANNA It's all I have BLAKE You'll get it back. Zen. Analyze. I want the derivation. ZEN The main constituent is an organic compound, probably derived from the xerophyte of the genus Korda. AVON A cactus. ZEN Confirmed. The species is alpha seven oblique five. Known as the moon disc, it was greatly prized for its partial telepathy and its ability to move short distances to avoid direct sunlight. HANNA It stayed in the shadows. BLAKE That's where the name comes from. ZEN Commercial collectors rendered the moon disc extinct on its native planet. BLAKE Which planet, Zen? ZEN Zondar. And when it proved impossible to grow in any other environment the total extinction of the species followed logically. BLAKE Only it didn't. ZEN There are traces of an element -- BLAKE All right, Zen, we've got enough. Have the navigation computers set in a course for the planet Zondar. ZEN Confirmed. AVON Wait. BLAKE It has to be the source, the key to all the Terra Nostra's power. If we control that, we control them. JENNA Right. GAN [steps directly in front of Blake] The drug in return for their help? Blake, that would make us pushers. BLAKE Well, maybe we won't keep our end of the bargain. GAN And that would make us cheats. BLAKE That will make us winners, Gan. That's the only excuse for fighting. JENNA It's too good a chance to miss, Gan. BEK I'd like to see that, to see them grovel. AVON When the Federation introduced the death penalty for possession, the President described Shadow as the greatest single threat to the welfare of mankind. BLAKE Don't tell me you agree with Gan. AVON No, no, no, I'm just...interested. It seems to me that we have identified the source of that threat rather easily. BLAKE So why haven't they? AVON Exactly. BLAKE Maybe we're about to find out. AVON Maybe we already know. [Liberator corridor. Vila staggers, holding head] VILA Never again. I'm dying. [Cally is lying on floor, next to Orac] Cally, what's the matter? [Cally looks at him, eyes open but unseeing] Cally? Cally? It's only me. What's the matter with her? [Long mental scream from Cally.] ORAC Obviously, she's insane. [Liberator flight deck] BLAKE How is she? AVON The same. I left the girl with her. BLAKE Have you run the diagnostic checks again? AVON Still nothing. There is no physical explanation for her condition unless somehow it's locked up in here [indicates Orac] and I don't see how that can be. BLAKE She is an alien. AVON She is more human than I am. VILA That's not difficult. AVON Have you remembered anything yet? VILA It's a complete blank BEK With what you .. VILA From the time you left to meet Largo to when I woke up back on the ship. BEK With what you drank you're lucky to remember who you are. AVON I would hardly call that lucky. BLAKE This is not helping Cally. VILA Orac's told you what happened. BLAKE Nothing, according to him. JENNA I don't believe it. AVON Computers do not lie. JENNA Orac is not a computer. AVON That was its creator's vanity. Orac is a computer. It is a highly sophisticated tool, and that is all. JENNA Well, something frightened Cally. GAN Yes, and so badly she may never come back from wherever she's hiding. AVON It was not Orac. BLAKE Maybe it wasn't anything -- anything real. ZEN Information. Flight time remaining is now fourty-eight minutes. Visual and detector readouts are now available. BLAKE Let's see it, Zen. [Zondar is shown on the screen] VILA It's a pretty color. BEK Oh, considering what it is. GAN Let's hope they don't know we're coming. BLAKE There's no reason why they should. [Space City. Chairman is seen on communications screen] ENFORCER They'll be making planetfall anytime now. CHAIRMAN Excellent. Are all Largo's addicts so available? ENFORCER Yes, Chairman. It seems he's been adding it to all the shadow that we supplied. CHAIRMAN Radioactive, you say? ENFORCER Not exactly. Controlled particle emission. Detectible only with the right equipment, which Largo's got, of course. CHAIRMAN Surely it damages the addicts? ENFORCER Kills them a little sooner. But at least if you need one you always know where to look. CHAIRMAN What a clever idea. We must consider it for general use. ENFORCER What about Blake and his friends, chairman? CHAIRMAN You can leave all that to me. ENFORCER Yes, chairman. CHAIRMAN You've done well. Dispose of the body. His assets are now yours. ENFORCER Thank you, chairman. [Looks down at Largo's body] [Flight deck of the Liberator] JENNA Cally's still the same. Hanna's singing to her now. BLAKE What? JENNA I don't think she's going to come out of it, Blake. BLAKE She will. JENNA I don't think you care whether she does or she doesn't. BLAKE One thing at a time, Jenna! VILA I've been thinking. If it's that hot down there, why don't you try landing on the night side? BLAKE Why don't you try listening? The system has twin suns, there is no night side! VILA I wish you wouldn't shout. BLAKE Gan, have you got everything clear? GAN Yes. BLAKE Well? GAN Well, Zen's doing the flying. I'm just monitoring it. JENNA Well, monitoring what? GAN Maintaining a powered orbit on the edge of the atmosphere. BLAKE Why? GAN For maximum cover. AVON From defenses that should be there but aren't. Are you ready to go? There's nothing you can do for Cally. Even shouting at everybody else is not going to help her. BLAKE A powered orbit can be tricky, Gan. You need to stay alert. GAN [Leaning forward] All system are functioning normally. Status is firm. BLAKE Good, then lets go. Jenna Vila. [softly] Teleport. [Blake, Jenna and Avon exit] BEK I don't know why they're all so jumpy. Show me the planet. GAN Visual. BEK I mean, look at it. It's nothing. I mean why should anyone draw attention to it with heavy defenses. They don't expect it to be found. [On the desert-like surface of Zondar] BLAKE [Into bracelet] Down and safe. Stay by the teleport, Vila. [To Jenna and Avon] Cover me. JENNA It's enough to fry your eyeballs. AVON Daintily put. JENNA It must be the company I keep. BLAKE Zen's right. It looks to be about half a mile away. AVON That's far enough to walk in this heat. BLAKE Far enough to crawl. There's no cover. JENNA Blake, over here. Look. AVON Moon discs.[Avon moves one with gun] Prized by collectors. BLAKE People collect odd things. JENNA Look what you ended up with. BLAKE You process those, you'll get a liquid that'll kill you. AVON Only if you're stupid enough to use it. JENNA Listen. No, not over there. Its coming from them. It's a sort of whispering. They're supposed to be telepathic. AVON They're supposed to move. BLAKE So are we. Come on. AVON It could have been frying eyeballs you heard. JENNA Daintily put. [They leave. The disk Avon touched moves] [Flight deck of Liberator. Vila enters holding head] GAN Vila! Get back to the teleport. VILA Five minutes. I must get something for my head. GAN You can't leave the teleport now. VILA Five minutes. GAN Don't be stupid. VILA My head is killing me. GAN And you may be killing Blake and the others. VILA All right. [He inserts Orac's key] Orac, operate the teleport as instructed. Satisfied? GAN Well, not really. VILA I'll only be five minutes. GAN Orac, did you understand the instruction? ORAC It was quite explicit. [Mental conversation. Voice is not quite Orac's] ORAC Child of Auron. Listen to the voice of Orac. Remember the touch of hands at laughter and the warmth of open minds. Remember these things for they are gone. You are alone. CALLY No. ORAC You are alone. You are the last of the humankind. CALLY Orac, don't. ORAC I am the darkness. Orac brings my darkness. You are alone, in me. Run, last of the humans. Run, before my darkness engulfs you. Run, run run, run run. [Cally runs past Vila in corridor, is teleported to Zondar. She runs blindly and drops her bracelet] [Another part of Zondar, where moon disk gardens are under artificial shade of reflective mirrors.] BLAKE They probably collect them in deep desert and bring them here to boost their growth. AVON With surface water in the area there will be a whole network of these gardens. JENNA I almost feel sorry for them. AVON They're plants. JENNA These are singing. AVON You should have stayed in the cool. BLAKE The collection and processing plant should be somewhere over there. AVON Seems logical. BLAKE Yes, well don't get to close. All we've got to do is plant these sensors in some form of rough circle. The battle computers will put together a complete picture of what's there. AVON And then the ship's main blasters will pick off anything we care to nominate. BLAKE Yes. Back in an hour. [Jenna nods. They move off in different directions] [Cally runs, falls in gully. A moon disc comes to her, making small noises] [Flight deck of the Liberator] HANNA No, she didn't hit me, she ran straight over me. I was just in the way. I never saw anyone so scared. VILA You couldn't tell why? GAN You couldn't see what was driving her? HANNA I don't think I'd want to. You can't share someone's madness. GAN They can on Auron. Cally told me her people can share any experience. And telepathy means they never have to be alone. Makes them very strong BEK Well, when they're together. I mean, what happens when one's isolated? GAN I think that's what we're finding out. VILA I'm going back to the teleport. All right Orac, you can go back to sleep.. [touches key] Awwwwk! That key's electrified. [to Orac] Did you do that purposely? ORAC You will not disconnect. VILA Is that right? [tries to take the key again] Ow! That hurts! ORAC The bridge is almost complete. You will not disconnect. [Blake, Jenna and Avon plant sensors in various moon disk gardens. A guard sees Avon, Avon sees his reflection in the mirror umbrella, shoots him before the guard can draw. Avon runs up escarpment, another guard appears. Avon shoots and throws him down incline.] AVON Next, please. [Flight deck of the Liberator. Everyone is looking at Orac] HANNA This is silly. It's just a machine. VILA Of course it is. If it wasn't so expensive, I'd kick it to pieces. BEK Yes, if it didn't bite. GAN Avon'll fix it when he gets back. VILA Yes. ORAC The bridge is complete. VILA What? What did he say? GAN Something's wrong. VILA No, that wasn't it. ZEN Information. Liberator is losing power from all systems. Orbital maintenance is threatened. GAN Switch off all auxiliary systems. ZEN Power drain is increasing. Orbit is decaying. VILA What's happening? GAN Switch to main boosters. Zen! ZEN Automatic flight control is now aborted. GAN The manual controls won't respond. VILA Do something, Gan. GAN Something is draining off the power. [Lights dim] VILA Orac, it has to be Orac. GAN Disconnect him, Vila. [Vila hesitates] Do it! We're heading toward the atmosphere. We'll burn up, explode. HANNA Here, let me. [She rushes to Orac and grabs the key. She is thrown to the floor by an electrical charge] BEK Hanna! [Crouching over Hanna] She's dead. [He starts toward Orac] That thing killed her. VILA [Holding Bek back from Orac] Don't do it. It'll kill you too! GAN We're falling towards the atmosphere! [On Zondar, Blake sees two guards pass. He hides, then goes in the opposite direction.] [Liberator is still falling] [On Zondar, many moon discs cluster around Cally. Soft voices call her name.] CALLY [telepaths] Hello [Sits up mentally, while her physical body remains in the gully. Smiles and picks up moon disc] ORAC You cannot stop me, child of Auron. CALLY Then why do you threaten me? ORAC Orac is my bridge. You stand before it, puny telepath. CALLY Yes, I know you now. My powers are in your dimension, and Orac's carrier waves are your bridge. ORAC The energy is building. I am ready to cross. Hungry dark to absorb the blazing suns. CALLY I will deny you. ORAC You are alone. CALLY No. The warmth you mock me with is here. [holds out moon disk] I am not alone. You will stay in your universe of darkness. ORAC You will not disconnect. You will not dis... [Cally's hand pulls Orac's key and it appears in Cally's hand on Zondar. She sits up, spilling moon discs that have clustered around her.] [Flight deck of the Liberator] GAN We're getting power. The power's coming back. VILA Orac. The key's gone. [Blake and Avon throw guards into pond.] JENNA [Runs to them] There's two more over there. BLAKE Vila, bring us up now. [They teleport.] [Cally finds her bracelet on Zondar and puts it on] CALLY Liberator, come in Liberator. VILA [V.O. over bracelet] Cally, what're you doing down there? CALLY Waiting to come up, [looks at key] again. [Flight deck of the Liberator] BEK So it was an alien life form that killed her? CALLY Yes. It was trying to use Orac as a bridge to cross from it's own universe into ours. JENNA That's why it needed so much power. BLAKE But a quantum jump would need much more energy potential than Liberator could develop. AVON The explosion in the planet's atmosphere would have provided the rest. BLAKE Yes, I hadn't thought of that. VILA So you see, Bek, this thing tapped into Orac's channels, sucked up all his energy, so that it could come squirting out and swallow us all. AVON The plain man's guide to alien invasions. VILA But, where did Cally fit in? Why did it attack you, Cally? CALLY I was a threat to it. I knew it was there because of my telepathy. Orac uses special communication waves, which pass into another dimension. And it is the same dimension that allows thought transference. JENNA Orac's telepathic? CALLY No, telepathy is conscious. Orac has no consciousness in that dimension. He merely...drives a beam though it. Which is why he could be controlled by this force. BLAKE And why you couldn't, you fought it telepathically. CALLY Yes. Once the moon discs had broken through my isolation; as soon as I was no longer alone I could fight it. fight it. VILA But what about the key? How did you get Orac's key while he was up here and you were down there? Long arms? BLAKE Telekinesis. VILA Who? AVON The power to move objects by thought alone. That seems unlikely. CALLY Yes, it does. Even among my people such power is rare. Maybe.. the moon discs. Their telepathy gave me courage. Perhaps it gave me strength, too. GAN So. Either we all become telepathic, or we dump Orac. JENNA Destroy rather than dump, surely. BEK I'll do it. [Rises] AVON It isn't necessary. BLAKE Will it work? AVON Of course it will work. I have set a small disruption bomb to precise limits within Orac's energy range. Any variation above or below and there will be a rather satisfying little explosion. The slightest attempt to tamper with the communication channels will reduce Orac to a heap of spare parts. BEK So Hanna died for nothing. Just her. Even that machine survives. BLAKE I'm sorry, Bek. AVON She was dying anyway. BEK Oh I know that. Just another dreamhead. But what about the low-life scum that really killed her? What about the Terra Nostra? BLAKE That is who we're waiting for now. GAN We're what? VILA Why? BLAKE We want them to realize that we know who they are. AVON This is the ID of a guard I killed. He was a member of Federation security, a very special member. He was one of the President's personal security force. BLAKE The President of the Federation runs the shadow operation. AVON And since shadow is the basis of the Terra Nostra -- GAN I don't believe it. BLAKE It's quite logical. To have total control, you must control totally. Both sides of the law. The Terra Nostra, the Federation: two sides of the same power. The same man of power. AVON Ironic, isn't it? We were hoping to use the Terra Nostra to attack the Federation only to discover that it is already being used to support it. VILA Where are all the good guys? BLAKE You could be looking at them. AVON What a very depressing thought. [Blake chuckles.] AVON Whose is this? [Picks up dish of sand containing one moon disc.] CALLY Mine. JENNA Is it alive? CALLY Yes. JENNA I thought they died if they left the planet. CALLY No, you have to talk to them. [Disk moves towards Cally's hand] AVON That's like talking to Vila, a complete waste of time. BLAKE [To Bek] When we've finished here, we'll get you back to Space City. BEK What for? There's nothing left there. BLAKE Well, it's your territory. At least you know who you're fighting now. BEK What have I got left to fight for? BLAKE I'll give you three years, then I'll come looking. I expect you to be able to help me. ZEN Information. Detectors report seven Federation pursuit ships approaching in attack formation. BLAKE Seven? One for each of us. How very generous of the President. AVON [Moves to weapons console] Blasters are cleared for firing, sensors are functioning, planetary targets are identified and ranged. BLAKE Wait a minute, Avon. Bek, that button burns the President's garden. It won't hurt him much, but it'll sting a bit. Stand by to take us out, Jenna, when it's done. [Bek leans to press the button.] Script Index Back to B7 Top
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)