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TIME AND THE RANI

PART FOUR

Written by
PIP AND JANE BAKER


1. INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE ARCADE

(The Doctor's bed recedes into Cabinet - he is unconscious and connected to the machinery via a headset. Beyus is waiting as the Rani, Mel and Urak enter. The Rani holds Mel restrained.)

RANI: Is the Doctor connected to the main input.
BEYUS: Everything is ready.
RANI: Then switch on!
MEL: No, Beyus! For once don't do as she says.

(Mel is passed from the Rani to Urak who clamps a claw over her mouth. Beyus activates the Doctor's cabinet. It throbs in to life.)

RANI: The Doctor's wellbeing is in your hands now. Remember that.

INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE BRAIN CHAMBER

(The Rani returns to the Brain Chamber to observe the brain function. She smiles with satisfaction.)

BRAIN VOICE: The barrier to understanding time is empirical thinking. I suggest a lateral approach.

INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE ARCADE

(Mel is held tightly by Urak. She screams as she witnesses the Doctor's brain draining away into the headset and into the Rani's Large Brain.)

URAK: You Lakertyan, you will be responsible for this creature's behaviour.

(Urak releases Mel and pushes her aggressively against the Doctor's Cabinet.)


2. INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE LABORATORY

(The Rani returns to the control desk to monitor the asteroids progress. Urak enters and joins her.)

URAK: Time is getting short if we are to be ready for the Solstice, Mistress.
RANI: I'm aware of that.

(The screen displays a variety of alien symbols which inform her about the situation.)


3. EXT. THE LAKERTYAN SURFACE

(A Tetrap guard patrols the grounds. He walks away and as he does so Ikona appears from a hiding place in the rock face.)


4. INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE LABORATORY

(The Rani and Urak are still at the control desk. The Rani turns off the monitor. She looks thoughtful.)

URAK: The Doctor must have had assistance from the Lakertyan rebel. Shall I release the insects and kill all the Lakertyans.
RANI: Too drastic.
URAK: It is unrealistic of the Mistress to be sentimental.
RANI: Sentiment has nothing to do with it. Wasting a resource does. Until this experiment is successfully concluded I can't be certain that I won't need them as a labour force.

(The Rani goes over to a wall unit and removes a case. She returns to Urak and hands it over to him.)

RANI: Selective retribution will bring any dissidents to heel.

(Urak leaves with the case.)


5. EXT. THE LAKERTYAN SURFACE

(Ikona prowls around the Citadel grounds.)


6. INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE TETRAP EYRIE

(Urak still carrying the case descends into the Eyrie and calls out in the Tetrap dialect for his Tetrap brothers to follow him. The Tetraps form en masse, detaching themselves from their hanging position on the roof and make for the exit.)

INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE ARCADE

(The Tetraps make their way past an intrigued and fearful Beyus and Mel. Once they are gone, their attention returns to the Doctor.)


7. EXT. THE LAKERTYAN SURFACE. THE RANI'S CITADEL ENTRANCE

(Urak and the other Tetraps exit in a line from the Rani's base. When the last Tetrap has passed, Ikona comes out from his hiding place by the entrance and watches them move away. He decides to follow them discreetly.)


8. EXT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE ARCADE

(Mel and Beyus watch over the Doctor's Cabinet.)

MEL: She might think she's harnessed the brain of a Timelord but she's reckoned without one thing.
BEYUS: And what's that?
MEL: The Doctor's character.

(Beyus leaves her, unconvinced by the argument. Mel looked saddened by his dismissal. Inside the Doctor's cabinet, Mel can see his mouth moving very fast - this is a sign of activity.)


9. INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE LABORATORY

(The Rani is standing over the monitor screen watching the asteroid and reading the computations. She turns off the monitor, ascends the stairs at the rear.)

INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE BRAIN CHAMBER

(She moves into the Brain Chamber. On entering it she hears the brain voice talking.)

BRAIN VOICE: I still assert that electron-positron pairs can be prevented from recombining into photons.
DOCTOR: Really! This is not the place for double entendres.
FEMALE VOICE: You are all contributing gibberish.
MALE VOICE: My theory will provide the formula.
DOCTOR: A fool and his formula are soon parted.
MALE VOICE: Outrageous polemics.
DOCTOR: Gentlemen, such hostility. Remember. Blessed are the pie makers for they shall make light pastry.                         
BRAIN VOICE: It is a fundamental postulate that all motion is relative.
DOCTOR: You wouldn't say that if you met my uncle.
MALE VOICE: Dismissing our position as decadent heresy is the refuge of the reactionary.
DOCTOR: Ah well, every dogma has its day.
RANI: I'll kill him.

(Unable to take any more of the rambling voices, the Rani storms from the brain chamber.)

INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE LABORATORY

(The Rani runs through in her way to the arcade as the voices chatter on.)

FEMALE VOICE: It is stated in the special theory and has been demonstrated that an increase in velocity will increase matter.
RANI: I'll kill him.
DOCTOR: Exactly. The faster a fat man runs, the fatter he will get.

INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE ARCADE

(The Rani enters the Arcade of Cabinets and confronts Mel. As she does so the voices continue to ramble into chaos.)

RANI: Quickly, disconnect the Doctor. The fool has induced multiple schizophrenia.
MEL: Congratulations. You brought us here.
RANI: And I shall dispose of you. This will rid me of the pair of you.

(She moves away from Mel, foolishly with her back to Mel. She tries to remove some capsules from her elaborate wristband. Mel opens the Doctor's cabinet and he jumps out. He makes a grab for the Rani.)

DOCTOR: Quickly, Mel. Don't just stand there, help me!
RANI: Let go of me, you interfering maniac.

(The Doctor and Mel shove the Rani into the Doctor's Cabinet and shut the door, ignoring her protests.)

MEL: Give her a taste of her own medicine; shall I switch on?
DOCTOR: No, Mel. Two wrongs don't make a left turn. Right.

(The Doctor runs off followed by Mel leaving the Rani locked up and banging against the inside of the cabinet.)

RANI: Let me out! Let me out. Do you hear me!?!


10. INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE BRAIN CHAMBER

(The Doctor and Mel enter the chamber; He is seeing the brain for the first time.)

MEL: Doctor, before this regeneration you were on keen on cats and you know what curiosity did to them.
DOCTOR: Leave the quotes to the expert, Mel.

(He moves along a metal gantry to see the underside of the rocket launcher. Mel follows.)

DOCTOR: The rocket! It's a fixed trajectory.
MEL: It isn't all that'll be fixed if we don't get out of here.

(The Doctor starts to make his way back to the side of the Brain, again Mel follows.)

DOCTOR: So the target is the asteroid which at any moment now will reach the solstice and I'm sure that's the deadline. He who dares spins.

(The Doctor recklessly activates a spherical control under a monitor screen situated off the circular gantry around the Brain. The screen comes to life and shows a large explosion in space.)

DOCTOR: Whoops. A supernova.


11. INT. THE CENTRE OF LEISURE

(The Tetrap group sent from the Rani enter the building surprising the Lakertyans present. Urak stands on the balcony overseeing his fellow Tetraps below.)

URAK: Put those on the legs of all the Lakertyans. Disobey and I will release the killer insects from the globe.

(Ikona, who has followed the Tetraps, watches from a secret place. He watches his fellow Lakertyans take the ankle bracelets from the Tetraps holding the cases and pass them out amongst themselves. Faroon is present.)

FAROON: Why are you doing this? We've cooperated.
URAK: Silence Lakertyan! There have been too many unfriendly acts.
FAROON: Not by us. This is unjust. At least tell us what they're for.
URAK: (Laughs) I will demonstrate with the greatest of pleasure. You!

(Urak points to a young female Lakertyan who moves forward hesitantly. Urak presses a button on his wristband and the ankle bracelet that the Lakertyan wears explodes. She screams and falls to the ground. Her corpse sheds itself of its skin leaving only a Lakertyan skeleton. The Lakertyans look on in horror as Urak laughs. Faroon and the secretly watching Ikona are disgusted.)


12. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE ARCADE

(The Rani makes a few last pitiful knocks on the transparent door of the cabinet before giving up. She sighs. Then she sees Beyus walk mournfully past.)

RANI: Beyus? Beyus is that you? Let me out.

(Beyus sees her then continues to walk past defiantly. The Rani watches him.)

RANI: Do you hear me. Open this door. Beyus, if you place any value on your peoples lives, you will release me.

(Beyus turns around to look at her knowing he must give in.)


13. INT. THE CENTRE OF LEISURE

(The Tetraps leave the building after Urak calls for them to do so. When they have gone, Ikona comes out from his hiding place and moves over to join Faroon by the recently deceased Lakertyan. She looks at him sadly.)

IKONA: I'll try and talk with the Doctor. We need his help.


14. INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE BRAIN CHAMBER

(The Doctor and Mel watch the last few seconds of the supernova on the screen.)

DOCTOR: D'you realise how close the Rani must have taken her TARDIS in order to record that.
MEL: All I realise is that we've seen what she intends to happen to Lakertya. Can she do it?

(The Doctor starts to pace around the gantry.)

DOCTOR: Not by my reckoning. The only known detonator for exploding strange matter asteroid is strange matter itself.
MEL: You said that strange matter was incredibly heavy.
DOCTOR: A lump the size of this brain would weigh as much as an entire planet.
MEL: Well could she be using the brain to come up with a formula for...
DOCTOR: ...for a lightweight substitute. Could be. Could be.
MEL: Well then, haven't we come up with the answer.
DOCTOR: No, not completely. What I can't fathom is why the Rani took such an incredible risk to record a supernova.
MEL: To discover how to reconstruct the same event.
DOCTOR: No, more than that. She wouldn't be simply interested in a display of pyrotechnics, too negative. No there's a deeper motive and the answer is in here.

(He beats his forehead in frustration.)

MEL: Well Calm down. Let's apply a bit of logic shall we. What is it that you can contribute that those other geniuses can't?
DOCTOR: A knowledge of time. Oh a great discovery. I worked that out ages ago.

(They are interrupted by the Rani who enters the chamber obviously having been freed by Beyus.)

RANI: So now you know.
DOCTOR: Not the complete story. The last chapter's missing.

(They all stand watching the Brain.)

DOCTOR: (Referring to the brain) Keeping quiet isn't it.
RANI: Perhaps, unlike you it only speaks when it has something intelligent to say.
DOCTOR: Possibly. On the other hand it's probably wondering why you want helium 2. That's why you want to explode strange matter isn't it! To reproduce Helium 2.
RANI: The last chapter, Doctor. The denouement.

(She pushes past him and moves to the display screen on the wall. She activates the control and the screen shows the planet Lakertya hanging in space.)

RANI: In the aftermath of the explosion, helium 2 will fuse with the upper zones of the Lakertyan atmosphere to form a shell of chronons. I don't need to tell you what chronons are, do I, Doctor?
DOCTOR: Indeed you don't. (To Mel) Discrete particles of time.  
RANI: In the same millisecond that chronon shell is being formed, the hothouse effect of the gamma rays will cause the primate functions of the brain to go into chain reaction, multiplying until the gap between shell and planet is filled.
DOCTOR: A time manipulator!?! You're going to change this planet into a time manipulator!?!
RANI: A cerebral mass capable of dominating and controlling time anywhere in the cosmos.
DOCTOR: I don't believe it. A time manip... This monstrosity will give you the ability to change the order of creation.
RANI: Creation's chaotic. I shall introduce order. Wherever evolution has taken the wrong route, I shall redirect it. That planet you're so obsessed with, Earth, I shall return to the cretaceous age.
MEL: The cretaceous age?
RANI: The potential of the dinosaurs was never fully realised.
DOCTOR: That means Shakespeare, Michael Angelo, Louis Pasteur, Elvis, even Mrs. Malaprop will never have existed.

INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE LABORATORY

(Urak has returned from the Centre of Leisure. He places his net weapon on to the central control desk. All the time he can hear what is being said up in the Brain Chamber.)

RANI: Your concern for these minions is pathetic. They're an inferior species.
DOCTOR: Thrust into the oblivion.
RANI: Why not?
DOCTOR: The same with Lakertya. All life on this planet will become extinct.
RANI: An unfortunate side effect.
DOCTOR: All living creatures left behind will be exterminated.
RANI: Of which you, Doctor, will be one.
DOCTOR: While you float off safely in your TARDIS.

INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE BRAIN CHAMBER

RANI: Oh I shall be back once the turbulence has subsided.
DOCTOR: Before I thought you were a psychopath without murderous intent. I withdraw the qualification.

(There discussion is interrupted by the computing voice of the brain.)

BRAIN VOICE: Eighty-seven K to the power of nineteen E correlated with fifty-two to the power of six point four equals twenty-nine V...
DOCTOR: Thirty-nine.

(Realising his stupidity in giving away the answer, the Doctor chews his hand.)

BRAIN VOICE: Correction is noted. Thirty-nine V plus W... Eureka!! Objective achieved! Loyhargil!

(Whilst the Rani is distracted, the Doctor and Mel back away to the door.)

RANI: I knew it! I knew they could do it!

(The display screen triumphantly displays "Loyhargil".)

INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE LABORATORY

(The Doctor closes the Brain chamber door, shutting the Rani inside. He and Mel move away from it when Mel suddenly notices Urak come out from the shadows.)

MEL: Doctor!

(She trips up as she backs away. The Doctor picks up his umbrella and points it at Urak menacingly.)

DOCTOR: Stay back!

(Mel, being of more use, picks up Urak's gun from the control desk and aims it at Urak, promptly firing. The net falls on Urak and he falls to the ground, stunned into unconsciousness. The Doctor looks at his umbrella, bizarrely assuming that he had stunned Urak.)

DOCTOR: As you snore so shall you sleep.
MEL: Doctor!

(Mel runs out into the arcade. The Doctor picks up his scarf from the control desk, stalling.)

DOCTOR: Waste net, want net.
MEL: Come on!

(The Doctor runs from laboratory almost colliding with Beyus. With Mel and the Doctor gone, Beyus walks into the laboratory to see what has happened and goes over to Urak, lifting the net from him.)


15. EXT. THE LAKERTYAN SURFACE. THE RANI'S CITADEL ENTRANCE

(The Doctor and Mel hastily exit the Citadel and run into Ikona.)

MEL: About turn, Ikona.
IKONA: Doctor, I've got to talk to you.
DOCTOR: And so you shall. You have a big part to play, Ikona. You must stir up the Lakertyans into fighting back. Come, quickly.

(They race off toward the Centre of Leisure.)


16. INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE LABORATORY

(Beyus helps the recovering Urak up off the floor. Urak pushes him aside rejecting his help. He opens the door and mounts the stairs to the brain chamber. Beyus walks away.)

INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE BRAIN CHAMBER

(Urak joins the Rani who stands triumphantly over her Brain creation.)

DOCTOR: The Doctor must be apprehended, Mistress.
RANI: He is irrelevant. I have the Loyhargil. Nothing can stop me now.

(She moves away from Urak along the gantry to see the Loyhargil being produced from beneath the brain. A pinkish coloured liquid oozes out into a container.)


17. INT. THE CENTRE OF LEISURE

(The Doctor and Mel, lead by Ikona, enter the main chamber of the Centre of Leisure. A large group of Lakertyans are all gathered around, all wearing the ankle bands.)

IKONA: Unless you can tell them how to removes these bangles, they can't help.
DOCTOR: Erm?

(The Doctor leans down next to Faroon to examine her ankle band. Mel and Ikona also surround her.)

DOCTOR: You've got to give the Rani full marks for ingenuity.
IKONA: Perhaps if we're careful we can cut them.
MEL: Oh that's a daft idea. They're bound to be booby trapped.
DOCTOR: Less of the pessimism, Mel. Not all the cards are in the Rani's flavour.

(The Doctor takes out a small penknife and tentatively picks off a metal cap on the ankle band and thus displaying the circuit inside. He replaces the knife into pocket.)

DOCTOR: Now if we were to run a wire from here round to here, then the circuit wouldn't be broken when the bangle from open. Mel. You're the computer expert. How about it?
MEL: Where am I going to find the right sort of wire?

(The Doctor starts to rummage in his pockets but Ikona goes over to a fibre optics ornament and pulls a wire from it. He takes it back to the group around Faroon.)

IKONA: Where there's a will, there's a...
DOCTOR: Beneficiary. Good thinking, Ikona.

(Mel takes the wire and inserts one end on the opening clip and runs the wire around the back to the circuit. They all look very anxious, especially Faroon. Mel opens the bangle and everyone breaths a sign of relief as the idea proves a success. The Doctor stands up.)

DOCTOR: Well done, Mel. Ikona, I'm relying on you to help the Lakertyans help themselves for once. Remove the bangles.
IKONA: Right.

(The Doctor puts Faroon's bangle inside his umbrella and hands that over to Ikona who leaves with Mel for assistance. Faroon grabs the Doctor's arm to speak with him.)

FAROON: Doctor, haven't you overlooked something. If the Rani releases the insects, we'll all be dead.
DOCTOR: She's not the only one with a sting in her tail.
FAROON: Sting?
DOCTOR: Sting! A double bluff. A speciality of mine.

(The Doctor leads Faroon away as they prepare to leave for the Rani's Citadel. Mel and Ikona remove the bangles from the ankles of the remaining Lakertyans.)


18. INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE BRAIN CHAMBER

(The Loyhargil is carried along a small conveyor belt in a black vessel and rises up into the bowels of the rocket. The Rani and Urak watch its delivery.)

RANI: You will stay on guard until after lift off.
URAK: After lift off!?!
RANI: You said yourself that the Doctor could still cause trouble. Remain here and see that he doesn't.

(The Rani activates the computer countdown to life off starting at 149 and then starts to leave.)

URAK: And where is the Mistress going?
RANI: To my TARDIS. I want to monitor the experiment from there.
URAK: I would prefer to go with you.
RANI: No doubt. But you can't!

(The Rani leaves the Brain chamber and marches arrogantly to her TARDIS. Urak watches her leave and then he himself goes out of sight.)


19. INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE ARCADE

(Beyus is alone in the arcade monitoring the geniuses. Faroon enters the arcade beckoning the others that it is safe to enter. She is followed in by the Doctor, Mel and Ikona.)

FAROON: Doctor!
BEYUS: Faroon, you were warned not to listen to him.
DOCTOR: When that voice reaches zero there'll be nobody left on Lakertya to listen to me or anyone else.
FAROON: He's speaking the truth, Beyus.
BEYUS: What is it you want me to do?
DOCTOR: First see if there's anyone in there (pointing the Lab.).

(Beyus goes into the Laboratory. The Doctor moves down the arcade passing Mel on the way. Faroon follows Beyus into the Laboratory.)

DOCTOR: Mel, all hands on stumps.
MEL: Pumps!

(The Doctor opens Louis Pasteur's cabinet. Pasteur starts to come around to his senses. Ikona joins the Doctor.)

DOCTOR: Ikona, take good card of him.
IKONA: He's someone important?
DOCTOR: They all are. Louis Pasteur, he will rid his world of a major scourge. He will save the lives of tens of millions.

(The Doctor goes to join Mel as she open Einstein's cabinet and he starts to exit somewhat bewildered. Faroon comes from the laboratory.)

FAROON: Doctor! Come through!

(The Doctor follows her but then runs back into the arcade and hands the TARDIS key over to Mel.)

DOCTOR: Whoops. Ooh. Take them back to the TARDIS.
IKONA: Doctor!

(Ikona gives the Doctor his umbrella that contains all the bangles.)

DOCTOR: Thank you, Ikona.

(Ikona goes to realise more geniuses as Mel ponders what to say to Einstein. The Doctor runs off to the brain chamber.)

INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE BRAIN CHAMBER

(The Doctor and Faroon run into the chamber greeting Beyus. Beyus holds the Doctor's umbrella as the Doctor passes the bangles to Faroon. Both he and Faroon carefully place the bangles around the perimeter of the Brain. The Doctor goes over to the controls and starts to tamper with the circuits. Mel races into the chamber. All the time the computer voice is counting down ever closer to zero.)

MEL: Doctor, we haven't a second to spare.
BEYUS: Mel's right, Doctor. I can finish here. You're the only one who can tackle the Rani.
DOCTOR: Don't leave it too late, Beyus.
BEYUS: I know what I have to do.
MEL: Doctor, come on.

(Mel leaves the chamber. Faroon hesitates.)

BEYUS: Go with them, Faroon.
FAROON: But can I wait with you, Beyus?
BEYUS: You've rarely questioned my actions before this is the not the time to begin.

(The Doctor guides Faroon out of the chamber and into the lab leaving Beyus.)

INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE LABORATORY

(The Doctor and Faroon run down the stairs from the Brain Chamber. The Doctor beckons the waiting Mel to go with Faroon. He opens a cupboard in the central control desk and removes a glass container before running out himself.)


20. EXT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE ENTRANCE

(Ikona, Faroon, Mel and the geniuses race from the Citadel in the direction of the TARDIS. The Doctor also exits but heads off to the Rani's TARDIS.)


21. INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE BRAIN CHAMBER

(Beyus walks up into the chamber closing the door to the laboratory behind him. He moves around the brain examining all the leg bands that were positioned around it. The computer voice countdowns from 20...)


22. EXT. THE LAKERTYAN SURFACE. THE RANI'S TARDIS EXTERIOR

(The Rani walks to her TARDIS with a triumphant grin on her face. She is halted in her tracks as her wristband registers than the countdown clock has stalled.)


23. INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE BRAIN CHAMBER

(Beyus stands impassively watching the brain as the computer voice reads out the stalled countdown - "4.4.4.4.4".)


24. EXT. THE LAKERTYAN SURFACE. THE RANI'S TARDIS EXTERIOR

(The Doctor stands impressively on a boulder looking down on the Rani outside her TARDIS.)

DOCTOR: Rani! It's over! You're beaten! I've aborted the launch and the Lakertyans are preparing to attack.
RANI: You imbecile. You've signed their death warrants.

(She activates a control on her wristband.)


25. INT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE BRAIN CHAMBER

(All the leg bands around the brain explode. Caught in the blasts is Beyus who falls on to the metal gantry...dead. The computer continues to stall at 4 until the explosions trigger the countdown, finally launching the rocket.)


26. EXT. THE RANI'S CITADEL. THE ROCKET LAUNCHER

(The rocket blasters fire and it ascends up the ramp into the Lakertyan sky.)


27. EXT. THE LAKERTYAN SURFACE. THE TARDIS EXTERIOR

(Mel, Ikona, Faroon and some other Lakertyans are gathered outside the TARDIS. They watch with concern as the rocket ascends.)


28. EXT. THE LAKERTYAN SURFACE. THE RANI'S TARDIS EXTERIOR

(The Rani reacts with satisfaction as the rocket ascends when suddenly both she and the Doctor are startled by the Rani's citadel exploding. The Doctor starts to make his way down the rocks over to the Rani but she runs into her TARDIS and dematerialises. He watches and sighs then moves off to join the others.)


29. EXT. SPACE

(The rocket heads towards the asteroid that spins in the distance.)


30. EXT. THE LAKERTYAN SURFACE. THE TARDIS EXTERIOR

(The Doctor runs up to join those waiting outside the TARDIS. Mel, Ikona and Faroon are with the other Lakertyans.)

DOCTOR: The delay in lift off means that the rocket will miss the asteroid.
MEL: Are you certain?
DOCTOR: Absolutely. A miss is as good as a smile.

(He smiles and folds his arms behind his back... crossing his fingers.)


31. EXT. SPACE

(The rocket passes under the base of the asteroid thus missing it and flying off into space...)


32. INT. THE TARDIS CONSOLE ROOM

(The Doctor enters the TARDIS to find all the geniuses standing around the scanner screen watching the rocket move of into space. He turns the scanner off and goes over to the inner door. He opens it and gestures the geniuses through.)

DOCTOR: This way Ladies, Gentlemen...others. I'll get you back to where you belong. Hopefully.

(The Doctor notices that Einstein is pondering the console controls. He walks over to Einstein and guides him after the others.)

DOCTOR: I'll explain how it works later. It's all relative.

(He closes the inner door and stops thinking that he has forgotten something. He clicks his fingers.)

DOCTOR: Mel.

(The Doctor exits the TARDIS console room.)


33. EXT. THE LAKERTYAN SURFACE

(The Doctor leaves the TARDIS and joins Faroon, Ikona, Mel and the other Lakertyans gathered outside of it.)

DOCTOR: Goodbye, Faroon. When I think of Beyus I shall remember with admiration the sacrifice he made.
FAROON: He must have been convinced that it was the only way to be certain of saving the rest of us.
IKONA: He'll not be forgotten.
FAROON: Nor will you, Doctor.
MEL: Well, cheerio, Ikona.

(Mel and Ikona press their palms against one another.)

IKONA: I wish I were coming with you.
MEL: No one will credit this, least of all you, but so do I.
IKONA: I do have another regret.
DOCTOR: What's that?
IKONA: After all the suffering she's caused, the Rani has escaped to freedom in her TARDIS.

(The Doctor looks up into the sky with a knowing look.)


34. INT. THE RANI'S TARDIS

(The Rani is hanging by her arms from the ceiling of her TARDIS surrounded by a group of Tetraps hanging upside down as they did in the Eyrie. Urak is standing beneath her, gloating.)

URAK: Mistress. You have taught us so much. When we return to Tetrapiriarbus, your incredible brain will show us how to overcome our needs. There will be plasma in abundance.

(Urak starts to laugh causing the Rani's anger to grow. She lashes out by kicking him.)


35. EXT. LAKERTYAN SURFACE. THE TARDIS EXTERIOR

(The Lakertyans and the Doctor and Mel are standing outside the TARDIS.)

DOCTOR: Memory like a dromedary. An antidote against those killer insects in the globe. The Rani always takes out an insurance policy.

(The Doctor passes the antidote bottle to Ikona. Ikona removes the lid and tips the contents out on to the ground before throwing away the bottle.)

MEL: You're impossible! Why did you do that?
IKONA: Tell her, Faroon.
FAROON: Ikona believes that our people should meet their own challenges, if they are to survive.
DOCTOR: Well, time and tide melts the snowman.
MEL: Waits for no man.
DOCTOR: Who's waiting? I'm ready.

(The Doctor gestures Mel back to the TARDIS. She stops at the door and turns to address him.)

MEL: You're certainly gonna take a bit of getting used to.
DOCTOR: I'll grow on you, Mel. I'll grow on you.

(Mel opens the door and enters, the Doctor turns and doffs his hat to the surrounding Lakertyans before entering and closing the door.)


CAST

The Doctor
SYLVESTER McCOY

Melanie
BONNIE LANGFORD

The Rani
KATE O'MARA

Ikona
MARK GREENSTREET

Beyus
DONALD PICKERING

Faroon
WANDA VENTHAM

Urak
RICHARD GAUNTLETT

Computer Voices
PETER TUDDENHAM
JACKI WEBB

 

PRODUCTION CREW

Theme Music Composed by
RON GRAINER

Theme Arrangement / Incidental Music
KEFF McCULLOCH

Sound
DICK MILLS

Production Manager
TONY REDSTON

Production Associate
ANN FAGGETTER

Production Assistant
JOY SINCLAIR

Assistant Floor Manager
JOANNA NEWBARRY
CHRISTOPHER SANDEMAN

OB Lighting
IAN DOW

OB Sound
DOUG WHITTAKER

OB Cameraman
ALASTAIR MITCHELL
JAMES HAWES

Visual Effects Designer
COLIN MAPSON

Video Effects
DAVE CHAPMAN

Vision Mixer
SUE THORNE

Film Cameraman
WILLIAM DUDMAN

Technical Co-ordinator
RICHARD WILSON

Camera Supervisor
ALEC WHEAL

Videotape Editor
HUGH PARSONS

Studio Lighting
HENRY BARBER

Studio Sound
BRIAN CLARK

Costume
KEN TREW

Make-up Designer
LESLEY RAWSTORNE

Script Editor
ANDREW CARTMEL

Graphic Designer
OLIVER ELMES

Designer
GEOFF POWELL

Producer
JOHN NATHAN-TURNER

Directed by
ANDREW MORGAN

BBC MCMLXXXVII

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