17. Journey Through The Rift

Roll original 1982 Peter Davison opening credits. 

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REPRISE

DOCTOR
(annoyed) “I’ve been such an idiot! I should have realised this would happen!”

Sean Black appears in the storage room of the Dwaxi underground base, as he pushes his way through the crowd of Dwaxi troopers. Sean approaches the Doctor, Nyssa, Billy, Enid and Fred who are now terrified.

SEAN
(cheekily) Well, well, well. Trying to get away were you, Doctor? And your little party of friends. (taunts) Don’t you get it that escape from the Dwaxi is impossible?! Well, do you?!

Just then, a loud speaker blares out across Churchwood Street and the entire world as Martin and Helen speak on the intercom. The Doctor, Nyssa, Billy, Enid and Fred hear them as well as Sean and the Dwaxi troopers.

MARTIN (V’O)
(triumphantly) Citizens of the Earth, pay attention! Rejoice and be glad! You are all being invaded!

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SCENE #181 – INT – MARTIN BLACK’S OFFICE, CHURCHWOOD TIMES – DAY, AFTERNOON
In Martin Black’s office at the Churchwood Times…

MARTIN
(continues; through intercom; triumphantly) The Dwaxi have control! This is our dominion! For we declare it! For death…is victory!

HELEN
(through intercom, triumphantly) Do not resist! You will be shot dead if you attempt to resist! This is our first warning! Take heed of it!

MARTIN
(through intercom, triumphantly) The Directors have spoken!

Martin finishes and switches off the intercom, before he and Helen laugh together very happily. They then kiss each other.

MARTIN
Happy now, dear?

HELEN
Yes, darling! We’re getting exactly what we wanted!

Martin and Helen then look out through the office window, as the Dwaxi invasion of Earth continues with Dwaxi ships falling out of the sky and taking control.

(CONTINUES INTO:)

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SCENE #182 – INT – STORAGE BAY, DWAXI BASE – DAY, AFTERNOON
Back in the storage room of the underground Dwaxi base, the Doctor, Nyssa, Billy, Enid and Fried continue to be threatened by Sean and the Dwaxi troopers.

SEAN
(taunts) Right, Doctor! It’s time for you and the rest to come with us! We’ve got big plans for you under our new dominion here! And it’s going to get exciting!

DOCTOR
(casually) “Sorry, Sean. Love to hang around. But I’ve been taking advantage of that announcement your mum and dad have been making!”

The Doctor then quickly turns the keys in the TARDIS lock and pushes the door open inwards.

DOCTOR
(urgently; to Nyssa; Billy; Enid; Fred) “Quick, you four! Get inside!”

BILLY
(urgently; to Enid; Fred) “Come on, Mum; Dad! Get inside the TARDIS!”

ENID
(baffled) “What are you…?”

NYSSA
“No time, Enid! Get in now!”

FRED
“Quick, Enid! Do as they say!”

SEAN
(shouts; angrily) “Stop them! They’re doing a runner! Get after them!”

The Dwaxi troopers try to stop the Doctor, Nyssa, Billy, Enid and Fred by firing their weapons at them. Fortunately the five heroes get inside the TARDIS. Once the Dwaxi have stopped firing their weapons, the Doctor opens the door and pops his head out of the TARDIS, saying…

DOCTOR
(happily) “Don’t worry, Sean! I’ll be coming back!”

The Doctor pops his head back inside the TARDIS and shuts the door, before the Dwaxi fire their weapons again. But their shots have no effect, as the TARDIS is impregnable. Sean then grabs his metal pole and steps forward once the Dwaxi troopers have stopped firing their weapons. Sean hits his metal pole on the TARDIS door, angrily trying to break in. He keeps whacking the pole on the TARDIS door, increasingly getting violent.

SEAN
(shouts; angrily) “Come out of there, Doctor! You’re not getting away! Get out of there now!!!”

But the TARDIS then starts to dematerialise, causing Sean to step back. The TARDIS fades away, grinding and whooshing noisily as it dematerialises.

SEAN
(shouts; angrily) “You can’t get away, Doctor! I forbid it! Get back here! Get back here now, Doctor!!!”

The TARDIS soon disappears, leaving the storage bay behind. Once the TARDIS has gone, Sean then turns on the Dwaxi troopers. Sean howls very angrily and throws his metal pole at one of the troopers. The trooper gets knocked out completely once Sean’s pole hits him and he ends up on the floor unconscious.

SEAN
(shouts; enraged) “Idiots! You lot let them escape! Why couldn’t you keep your eyes on them?!”

The Dwaxi troopers seem to protest momentarily, before they become silent.

SEAN
(bitterly) “Get back to your tasks, you lot! And do as you’re told!!! Alright?!!! My parents don’t want any slacking! So get it right and don’t fail like the others did!!! Now buzz off!!!”

The Dwaxi troopers acknowledge as they move off out of the storage bay, either by teleport or by walking out. Sean remains in the storage bay, as he tries to control his anger and get a grip after being so frustrated.

SEAN
(quietly; contains himself) “I will get this right! I will get it right! I will not make an idiot of myself in front of my mum and dad! I will be like them! I won’t be dismissed!”

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SCENE #183 – INT – TARDIS CONSOLE ROOM – N/A
Meanwhile in the TARDIS, the Doctor works at the console with Nyssa and Billy beside him. Enid and Fred look around the console room in amazement.

BILLY
(to Enid; Fred) “Mum; Dad? Are you alright?”

FRED
“This place, Billy! It’s huge! Did we just step inside that police box?”

BILLY
“Yes. Or rather no. This is the Doctor’s time and space machine – the TARDIS.”

ENID
“Is this what you’ve been doing all this time? Since you went away from us?”

DOCTOR
(agitated) “Please, Billy! I would appreciate it if you kept you and your parents down to a minimal level of domestic in my TARDIS.”

The Doctor works hard at the TARDIS console.

NYSSA
“Where are you setting the TARDIS for, Doctor?”

DOCTOR
“I’m entering co-ordinates for the Dwaxi realm. It’s set across the other side of the time-space rift.”

NYSSA
“But that means breaking through the rift barriers like before. We’ll be crossing into another dimension. Another universe.”

DOCTOR
“Precisely. And with the use of the temporal oscillation displacer apparently still plugged into the console, I can plot a course to where the Dwaxi originated traversing across the rift boundaries.”

NYSSA
“Doctor, it’s very dangerous to travel across the time and space rift. We may not be able to get back to our reality once we’ve crossed the dimensions.”

DOCTOR
“The rift’s already cracked open with the Dwaxi sending troops to invade our reality. Hopefully it should stay open for a while longer. With the use of the temporal ionic shielding around the TARDIS and the rift particle transverse generator, we’ll be able to bluff our way in.”

The Doctor then groans in pain. Nyssa looks at him to notice this.

NYSSA
(concerned) “Doctor? Are you alright?”

DOCTOR
“I’ll be fine, Nyssa. I’m still a little bruised after that arena fight with that mad Berserker person.”

NYSSA
“You should rest, Doctor. You haven’t fully-recovered.”

DOCTOR
I’ll be alright, Nyssa. I’m quite capable to master my own strength. Now this tinkering with the console and setting up the coordinates might take some time with some… (realises) Billy, what’s this doing on the console?

The Doctor picks up the cuddly toy dog Cuddles off the console. He hands it over to Billy.

BILLY
Oh. Sorry, Doctor.

DOCTOR
Keep him out of my way. I need to concentrate here.

Billy takes Cuddles, as the Doctor continues with his work. Meanwhile, Billy’s parents continue to question him.

ENID
Billy, would you please tell us what this is all about? This is fantastic beyond belief for us.

BILLY
I can’t explain now, Mum.

FRED
(insistently) We demand an explanation, Billy.

Moment of silence.

BILLY
(gradually; anxiously) Doctor?

DOCTOR
(to Nyssa) “Nyssa, help Billy out. I need to concentrate. Tell them to quiet as well!”

Whilst the Doctor remains focused at the TARDIS console, Nyssa joins Billy by his side as they quietly talk to Enid and Fred.

BILLY
“What do I say, Nyssa?”

NYSSA
“You might as well tell them, Billy. There’s no harm in telling them now.”

BILLY
(gradually) “Very well then.” (Pause; to Enid; Fred) “Mum; Dad. This is what I do. I travel in space and time. You’ve seen it yourselves with the Dwaxi and everything. It’s all real. Aliens and monsters. They exist!”

ENID
(astonished) “Billy! How did this happen? How did you become involved in all of this?”

BILLY
“I met the Doctor and Nyssa on a railway trip in Huttle. But I’ve also travelled in time on that train. I’ve been to the future. I’ve helped save people’s lives. I’ve met lizard monsters and a great ugly alien with one eye. I even faced the Dwaxi in the twenty-sixth century!”

FRED
(astonished) “Twenty-sixth?!”

NYSSA
“This ship we’re in. The TARDIS. It stands for Time and Relative Dimensions In Space. The Doctor uses it to travel backwards and forwards in time. To travel across parsecs of space and ending up on various planets.”

BILLY
“Mum; Dad! I’ve been to many places in space and time. I’ve stayed at a space hotel in the future. I’ve encountered metal monsters and water zombies. I’ve been on a jungle planet called Junglos. That’s where Nyssa and I found out we loved each other!”

NYSSA
“Billy’s saved my life many times, Mr. and Mrs. Walker! Your son is so brave! We’ve been together travelling and fighting those who have evil in their hearts with consummate experience.”

BILLY
“I’ve also met Jane Austen, Mum!”

ENID
(astonished) “Jane Austen?! You’ve met Jane Austen?!”

BILLY
“She’s wonderful, Mum! She’s exactly how I imagined her to be! We saved her life, the Doctor, Nyssa and I. We’re a team!”

NYSSA
“We’ve even defeated a lord of darkness on the planet Scotland!”

FRED
(amazed) “Scotland?! There’s a planet called Scotland?!”

ENID
(to Billy) “How come you’ve done these things and didn’t come back to see us, Billy? To see your mum and dad? We were sick with worry!”

BILLY
“I’m sorry, Mum. I didn’t mean to upset you! Honestly I didn’t. We thought we’d get back a few months after I left you. Truly we did.”

NYSSA
“The TARDIS isn’t reliable, Mrs. Walker.”

ENID
“Please. Call me Enid.”

FRED
“And you can still call me Fred, Nyssa.”

NYSSA
“Very well then. Thank you, Enid; Fred.”

ENID
(to Billy) “But Billy! How could you travel in space and time? It’s not possible! Not for any ordinary human being!”

BILLY
(gradually) The Doctor and Nyssa aren’t human, Mum.

ENID
What?! What do you mean they’re not human? Are they insects?

FRED
(realises) Wait! (to Nyssa) You mean…you Nyssa and the Doctor are aliens?

NYSSA
I would prefer a much better description. But yes! I’m not a native to Earth, Fred. I come from Traken.

BILLY
A planet far, far away. She’s a lady, Nyssa is. A princess of Traken.

NYSSA
Thank you, Billy. You’ve introduced me splendidly.

FRED
(astonished) So you’ve been dating…an alien.

BILLY
Yes. Are you alright with that, Dad?

FRED
“Yes, yes. Of course! I’m alright with that!”

NYSSA
“Really, Mr. Walker? I mean…Fred?”

FRED
“Yes!” (Pause) “Listen, this is all very interesting and I’d like to hear more.” (to Billy) “Uh Billy. Your mum and I were talking about it and…” (Pause) “Well, we’d like to invite you and Nyssa to a little dinner or tea sometime.” (to Billy) “To catch up with you Billy…” (to Nyssa) “…and to get to know you Nyssa a little better. If that’s alright?”

BILLY
“Tea?! You’re inviting Nyssa and me to tea, Dad?”

NYSSA
(pleased) “I’m pleased to hear you say that, Fred.”

FRED
“So am I. I think it’d be a good idea.” (to Enid) “Don’t you think so, Enid?”

ENID
“Well…yes, I suppose so.”

NYSSA
“It’s a wonderful idea!” (to Billy) “Don’t you agree, Billy?”

BILLY
“Of course! I’m very happy about it!”

Nyssa, Billy, Enid and Fred are then interrupted, as the Doctor finishes his work on the TARDIS console.

DOCTOR
(out loud) “Alright, everyone! Listen up! We’re about to travel through the rift and traverse the boundaries to enter the Dwaxi world. This may well be a bumpy ride. So hold onto something.”

BILLY
“Quick, Mum; Dad! Get round the console and hold onto something!”

NYSSA
(to Enid; Fred) “This may well be a shock for you both, I’m afraid.”

ENID
(baffled) “I don’t understand…”

DOCTOR
“Going in…now!”

The Doctor pulls a lever and the TARDIS console room shudders. All five hold onto the console. The Doctor, Nyssa and Billy hold on for dear life whilst Enid and Fred are staggered and feeling nauseous, unsettled by this new experience. The Doctor, Nyssa, Billy, Enid and Fred’s voices become distorted as they journey through the rift.

NYSSA
(concerned) “Enid; Fred? Are you both alright?”

FRED
(disorientated) “I’ll never be rude to a pint of beer ever again!”

ENID
(disorientated) “I feel like I’m swimming inside my head!”

BILLY
(cries) “Hold on, Mum and Dad! Hold on!”

DOCTOR
“Getting a little bumpier, I’m afraid. A little bumpier!”

All hold on, as the TARDIS makes it journey through the rift.

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SCENE #184  – INT – AQUA BLUES, CHURCHWOOD STREET – NIGHT
Later on, it’s now night-time in Churchwood Street. At a night club called Aqua Blues, loud sixties music is being played. Dancers and drinkers enjoy themselves, before they’re rudely interrupted by a group of Dwaxi troopers barging in. Confusion ensues from the clubbers, as they see the Dwaxi enter. The troopers begin smashing up glass and knocking over tables, causing girls to scream whilst some boys stand up to protest against the Dwaxi.

NIGHT CLUBBER
(shouts) “Oi! What do you think you’re playing at?!”

DWAXI TROOPER #2
“Get out of my way, scum!”

Dwaxi Trooper #2 immediately attacks the night clubber. An all-out fight ensues among the Dwaxi and the male clubbers. Rowdy shouts emanate from everywhere, as the Dwaxi troopers roar and shout for their kind to win and beat the clubbers up.

DWAXI
(chants) “Beat them!!! Beat them!!! Beat them!!! Beat them!!! Beat them!!!”

The girl clubbers also call out for their boy clubbers and support them, despite the strength and fury of the Dwaxi. At that moment, Kolgu and Mullog enter as they see the fights going on.

MULLOG
“‘Ere! They’ve started the fight clubs without us!”

KOLGU
(yells loudly; to everyone) “Shut up!!!”

Everyone stops fighting as they turn to see Kolgu with Mullog. Kolgu steps forward into the centre of the club.

KOLGU
(shouts) “Who started this?! Who started the fight here?!”

DWAXI TROOPER #2
(indicates Night Clubber) “He did it!”

KOLGU
(shouts) “Bring him forward!”

Dwaxi Trooper #2 picks up the night clubber and brings him forward to Kolgu. Kolgu then picks up a lit cigarette from a nearby table and holds it in front of the night clubber’s face.

KOLGU
“This fag yours, mate?!”

NIGHT CLUBBER
(bewildered) “No! Of course it isn’t!”

KOLGU
“It is now!”

Kolgu then stabs the cigarette in the night clubber’s face. The man shrieks out in pain as he falls to the floor, his face burning. Dwaxi Trooper #2 then picks the night clubber up from the floor again.

DWAXI TROOPER #2
“Come on! Get on your feet, will you?!”

Dwaxi Trooper #2 holds the night clubber up on his feet, whilst the clubber continues to cry out in pain. Kolgu then goes over to Mullog, before turning back to the rest in the club.

KOLGU
“Well go on then! What are you standing around for?! Get kicking at each other in the guts!”

With that, the Dwaxi immediately lash out on the night clubbers again, both male and female. They beat everyone up, smashing them with glass and throwing chairs and tables at them. They also knock some clubbers across the bar. Kolgu and Mullog observe from a distance to see how the fights are progressing.

MULLOG
“I’m never satisfied with a fight like this! Our boys depend on the drug that keeps them ‘stimulated’ as we hunger for blood, guts, gore and thrashing each other about!”

KOLGU
Shut it, Mullog! Let’s get to the bar and do what we came here to do! All these people should be smashed and plastered by the end of tonight!

Kolgu and Mullog then make their way over to the bar to plant drinks with their Yentias drug. The Dwaxi troopers continue to fight it out with the night clubbers.

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SCENE #185 – EXT – CHURCHWOOD STREET, CARDIFF – NIGHT
Meanwhile, out on the street, the Dwaxi invasion of Earth progresses as Dwaxi warships pound their firepower endlessly on houses, shops, buildings and innocent bystanders. The cracked rift in the sky continues to unleash thousands upon thousands of Dwaxi warships containing troopers. The Dwaxi troopers on the ground as well as those falling out of the Dwaxi ships in the sky kill people brutally. They use laser-like weapons to boil people to the skin with superheated rays as well as punch people in the faces and bodies with iron gauntlets. They also use sharp spiky daggers to stab people. This level of attacks adds more to the riots as they continue to increase. There are also Dwaxi battle vans and Dwaxi motorcyclists causing chaos in Churchwood Street, as they zoom and run people over, smashing into walls and causing blazing infernos everywhere. The Dwaxi troopers are also joined by the mods, rockers, teddy boys and converted locals, as they chant angrily and relish the violence and chaos they cause.

DWAXI
(chants) Let the bodies hit the floor!!! Let the bodies hit the floor!!! Let the bodies hit the floor!!! Blood!!! Blood!!! Blood!!! Death!!! Death!!! Death!!! Death!!!

The Dwaxi troopers and their converted human allies go crazy with rage, as they smash everything up without conscience and without thought. Soon the planet Earth gets overrun as an earthquake suddenly happens, causing everything to shudder violently.

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SCENE #186 – INT – MAIN BAR, GLASS & HOUND – NIGHT
Soon the earthquake stops, as everyone at the Glass & Hound pub becomes startled and bewildered on what’s going on. This includes the pub regulars who are enraged and bitter as they protest against the Dwaxi that watch over them. The Dwaxi savagely push the pub regulars back, shouting and swearing at them. Lord Ramga and Zurlt are present as they watch the locals and reflect on the earthquake that’s just happened.

ZURLT
What’s all that about then?!

LORD RAMGA
(bitterly) “What do you think?! Our world’s colliding with this one, idiot! Hopefully the Directors should be able to fix that one!”

ZURLT
(taunts) “Yeah! Nothing like a little stinking problem for our beloved Directors to deal with is there?!”

LORD RAMGA
“You really hate them don’t you, Zurlt!”

ZURLT
(angrily) “I do! I really do hate them!!! And I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t, you upstart!!!”

Lord Ramga and Zurlt are about to be at logger heads with each other, before Sean Black enters.

SEAN
(teasingly) “Getting on well with each other are we, boys?”

LORD RAMGA
“This commander you’ve put me up with is a jerk and hurls insults when he feels like it!”

ZURLT
“That’s only because I hate the lot of you!”

SEAN
“My parents wish me to tell you that invasion plans are going ahead to schedule. He wished me to thank you. Though personally, I don’t see any reason to thank you lot.”

ZURLT
(taunts) “You’re so kind aren’t you, pretty boy!”

LORD RAMGA
“No mishaps then?”

SEAN
“None. Except the Doctor’s escaped and is likely to enter the rift and arrive in our home world.”

LORD RAMGA
“There’s nothing he can do to stop us now! Already the Dwaxi are unleashed upon this rotten rock!”

SEAN
“Really, Lord Ramga? Convince me then why they shouldn’t stop us now!”

A moment of tense silence ensues.

SEAN
“I thought so!”

ZURLT
“But we’ll win! We will win, you numskull boy!!!”

SEAN
“I need you to come with me, Zurlt.”

ZURLT
“What for?”

SEAN
“My wife’s missing. And I think I know where to find her. I need you to come with me, Zurlt!”

ZURLT
“Yeah, but what for?”

SEAN
“Don’t ask questions! Just come with me will you, you jerk!”

ZURLT
“Yeah but what for, young Mr. Black?! I don’t like you! In fact I freaking hate you! Why should I come with you to find your stupid wife?!”

SEAN
(irritated) “I am the son of the Directors, you stupid blighter! And I am telling you to come with me this instant!”

ZURLT
“I’m bigger than you! I’m stronger than you! And I happen to be commander of my own squadron! My own armada! I can easily take you down with my own fists!”

SEAN
“Don’t even try it, mate!”

ZURLT
“I can even strangle you with my own two hands! Tight and square! Like this!!!”

Zurlt then advances on Sean and strangles him with his two hands. He tightens his grip hard around Sean’s neck. Sean gasps for breath, whilst Lord Ramga comes up behind Zurlt.

LORD RAMGA
“Get off him, you moron Zurlt! Get off!!!”

But Zurlt pushes Lord Ramga aside and continues to strangle Sean hard.

ZURLT
(threateningly) “Do you get what I’m saying to you, you little shrimp?! Do you?!!! Do you get me, you freaking morsel?!!!”

SEAN
(gasps) “Please, please, please! Let go of me, Zurlt! Let go of me I say!”

Zurlt strangles Sean for a little longer before he eventually lets go. Sean collapses to the floor, coughing badly as he tries to catch his breath. Zurlt paces about looking over Sean whilst he’s on the floor.

ZURLT
(taunts) “Call yourself the son of the Directors, mate? You’re no better than the weaklings on this putrid planet! I spit on you, mate! I mock you bitterly and tremendously!”

Sean groans as he manages to summon up his strength.

SEAN
(gradually) “That was some…technique you used, Zurlt. Very clever indeed.” (Pause) “What method did you use to…no, wait. Let me think.” (Pause) “No, no. I’ve got it. Was it a method…like this?”

Instantly, Sean gets back onto his feet and places his hands around Zurlt’s neck, trying to strangle him back. But Sean doesn’t seem to be able to strangle Zurlt. Zurlt laughs away mockingly as Sean attempts to tighten his grip around his neck with both hands.

ZURLT
(mockingly) “You make me laugh, Sean! You really do! Think you can do the same to me?!”

Zurlt laughs before Sean gradually laughs as well.

SEAN
(laughs) “Yeah! Bet you didn’t see this coming!”

Sean then pulls out the Yentias drug tube out from Zurlt’s neck. Zurlt shrieks in pain, as Sean takes the drug tube away from him, holding it in his hand. Zurlt desperately tries to get his drug tube back from Sean as he weakens.

ZURLT
(shrieks; in pain) “Stop it! Stop it!!! What do you think you’re doing?!” (Pause; gasps) “Give me my tube back, Sean?! Give me my tube back now!!!”

Sean however doesn’t give it back as he chuckles away. Lord Ramga stands by Sean as they watch Zurlt suffer.

LORD RAMGA
“You’ve taken out his drug tube, Sean.”

SEAN
“Yes, Ramga. I’ve taken out his supply of Yentias that goes directly into that little hole in his neck!”

LORD RAMGA
But he’s dying, Sean. You’re killing him.

SEAN
Yes! And that’s what comes when someone attacks the son of the Directors in mutual hatred of him!

ZURLT
(desperately) Give me back my drug tube, you son of a witch!!! I need my supply of Yentias!!! Give me it back!!! Give it back!!!

SEAN
Say sorry to me, Zurlt! Then I shall give what you desire!

ZURLT
(shouts; angrily) Go to hell, you shrimp!!!

SEAN
Say sorry, Zurlt! Say sorry!

ZURLT
(screams; angrily) Sorry, sorry, sorry!!! Just put the tube back in my blinking neck now!!!

SEAN
(gradually; casually) “You only had to ask!”

Eventually, Sean places the drug tube back into Zurlt’s neck, restoring his Yentias drug supply. Zurlt slowly calms down, as he breathes deeply and tries to regain his strength. A moment of bitter silence ensues.

SEAN
(taunts) “Now you know, Zurlt! You know what it’s like when it comes to facing up to me!”

LORD RAMGA
“Shame on you, Zurlt! Defying the will of the son of the Directors.”

ZURLT
(gasps) “I underestimated you, Sean. You’re pretty smart for a boy!”

SEAN
“I’m pretty smart for any Dwaxi, Zurlt. Remember that!”

ZURLT
(grimly) “Alright, alright! Don’t be such a jerk about it!”

SEAN
“It’s you that’s been doing the jerking! Don’t you think so, Zurlt?!” (Pause) “Now, are you coming with me to find my wife or not?”

A moment of grim silence ensues.

ZURLT
(obediently) “Where shall we go to search for your wife?”

SEAN
(pleased) “That’s better.” (Pause) “Now if I’m right, she should be with her family at Churchwood Hospital. Where her little sister is being treated, I guess.”

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SCENE #187 – INT – TARDIS CONSOLE ROOM – N/A
Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor, Nyssa, Billy, Enid and Fred hold onto the console, as it shudders vibrantly before slowing down and everything soon reverts back to normal. The five heroes breathe a sigh of relief once this happens, as they calm down and relax for a bit.

DOCTOR
(concerned) “Is everyone alright? Nyssa; Billy?”

NYSSA/BILLY
“Yes.”

DOCTOR
“Enid; Fred?”

FRED
“Better than I ever could’ve been, Doctor.”

ENID
“What was all that about?! Did we have to go through something with everything looking so blurry in the room?”

DOCTOR
“That’s the thing you see, Enid. When it comes to crossing the dimensions through a rift, things are never easy.”

ENID
“You make no sense, Doctor.”

DOCTOR
(gratified) “Thank you, Enid. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

The Doctor checks the instruments on the TARDIS console whilst Nyssa and Billy stand next to him.

BILLY
Have we arrived, Doctor?

NYSSA
We must have done. With all that turbulence.

DOCTOR
(to Nyssa; Billy) Patience, you two. Just checking the readings.

BILLY
Well, is it alright for me to switch on the scanner screen to see what’s out there, Doctor?

DOCTOR
Hmm? Oh by all means, please do.

BILLY
Err…unless you wish to switch on the scanner screen, Nyssa.

NYSSA
(reassuringly) Don’t be silly, Billy. You go ahead.

BILLY
Very well then. Switching on.

Billy switches the scanner screen on to reveal a blaze of interference before them. The crackling and scratching sounds get louder and irritating.

BILLY
Err, Doctor?

NYSSA
We’re receiving a lot of interference. It’s because it’s taking a while to adapt to the temporal environments.

DOCTOR
(realises) Oh yes, I see it now. (Pause; checks) Yes, the TARDIS instruments are adapting with the causal stability of this reality. (Pause) Hold on. I’ll adjust the temporal oscillation displacer plugged into the console a bit more to increase the frequency. So that the TARDIS can adapt to whatever’s outside.

This the Doctor does, as he adjusts the temporal oscillation displacer. Meanwhile Fred and Enid talk quietly as they watch the Doctor, Nyssa and Billy at the TARDIS console.

ENID
“Billy seems happy, Fred.”

FRED
“Yes. He’s obviously managed to gain confidence in something he’s looked for.”

ENID
“Yes, I suppose he has.”

FRED
“Nyssa’s such a nice girl, isn’t it she?!”

ENID
(grudgingly) “Okay, I’ll admit it. She does seem to be a pleasant, well-mannered girl. And she makes Billy happy too I suppose.”

FRED
(teasingly) “Even the Doctor seems appealing to you doesn’t he, Enid.”

ENID
(fascinated) “Yes.” (snaps out of it; puzzled) “What do you mean, Fred?”

FRED
“Oh come on, Enid! As if I didn’t notice. You seem to have taken a shine to him. And you seem fascinated by him.”

ENID
(in denial) “What?! Utter nonsense!” (Pause) “Though I will admit he is kind of hunky chunky.”

FRED
(tutts) “First Roger Moore; now the Doctor. Am I going to be in second place now, Enid?”

ENID
(scolds) “Oh stop teasing me, Fred.”

Enid and Fred laugh as they tease each other quietly, whilst Nyssa and Billy watch the Doctor finishing the adjustments on the TARDIS console.

DOCTOR
(satisfied) “There! Finished!”

NYSSA
“You used that displacer to traverse the TARDIS to enter the time-space rift, Doctor.”

DOCTOR
Of course.

BILLY
And now you’re adapting it for us to see what’s out there.

DOCTOR
It’s amazing what you can come up with, isn’t it? (Pause) Now. Let’s see what’s out there.

The Doctor then switches the scanner on. The scanner screen rises and the Doctor, Nyssa and Billy look in horror at what they see outside. Enid and Fred watch with them. Distorted sound effects for this Dwaxi world echo in the background.

BILLY
What in the name of…?

NYSSA
(shocked) Is that…is that what’s outside, Doctor? Fire, rubble and utter chaos?

DOCTOR
Yes. Perhaps it’s best we don’t go outside after all. We don’t know what we may run into.

ENID
(horrified) “The streets are appalling! It’s ghastly! And all those bodies lying about!”

FRED
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing! This is where those Dwaxi thugs come from isn’t it, Doctor?!”

DOCTOR
(grimly) “Yes, Fred. I’m sorry you and Enid had to see this. It’s such an abominable wasteland.”

NYSSA
“It’s a dead world out there. There’s nothing to give it any sparkle of life. I can imagine the air in the atmosphere is so vile.”

BILLY
(realises) “Look ahead up there! There’s some people sprawled about on the streets like they’re dead. And some are running around being angry, depressed and increasingly violent.”

ENID
“They’re fighting with one another. They’re just beating each other up constantly.”

FRED
“This is what drugs do to you I expect isn’t it, Doctor. Drugs make people violent, angry and aggressive.”

DOCTOR
With the Dwaxi, yes. This is their paradise, I’m afraid. A paradise of endless violence. Massive destruction all around. Hell in the devil’s image.

ENID
I can’t watch it anymore. No more please!

NYSSA
Me neither. I’m switching the scanner off.

With that, Nyssa turns the knob and the scanner screen’s switched off.

BILLY
But hold on. Did you see? There were some remaining Dwaxi troopers marching off and ships flying overhead.

NYSSA
Yes. They must be the remaining forces of the Dwaxi invasion fleet.

ENID
I don’t see the relevance in this.

DOCTOR
Don’t you, Enid? I’m afraid it’s the Dwaxi’s intention to move in. To cause more violence on the planet Earth. The world as you know it will end up as shards of ash and debris. They’ve abused their own world, they intend to abuse another.

NYSSA
And with the rift at their tails, the stability of all realities will collapse. Nobody will be safe. Not even in our universe.

BILLY
The Dwaxi must be stupid to think of such a hair-brained scheme like that.

DOCTOR
They’re not stupid, Billy. They’re utterly insane. And they know it.

FRED
And no conscience to grapple with, I expect.

DOCTOR
None at all, I’m afraid. That’s their entertainment.

Grim silence ensues, as the five heroes stand about in the TARDIS console room.

---

SCENE #188 – INT – MEDICAL WARD, CHURCHWOOD HOSPITAL – NIGHT
In the medical ward at Churchwood Hospital, Alexandra, Tina, Danny and Bruce are with Jenny the nurse. They tend to Lizzy who they’ve put back in her hospital bed as she sleeps away. They apply the breathing apparatus on Lizzy’s face again to provide the Dwaxi-like atmosphere she needs.

DANNY
(concerned; to Jenny) “Will she be alright, nurse?”

JENNY
“I’m just glad you managed to bring her back safely. I was worried. After being attacked by that mad Maria going on the loose, I thought I’d lost care to this little dear forever.”

ALEXANDRA
(scornfully) “Yeah well, you should have been careful where you trod.”

TINA
“Alex! Will you stop blaming other people?! If it weren’t for that Sean of yours…”

ALEXANDRA
“Oh don’t start, Mum.”

BRUCE
(abjectly) “Mum’s got a point, Alex. Sean’s as much to blame for this happening to Lizzy and you know it.”

DANNY
(to Jenny) “Nurse? Is there anything you can do to make Lizzy better?”

JENNY
“I’m afraid the Doctor’s the only one who can help with Lizzy right now. He seems to know about this condition that Lizzy’s got. I can only keep her body stable with this apparatus on her. Given time, I’m sure [that…]”

Jenny then gets interrupted as a blaze of shots fire into the medical ward. Alexandra, Danny, Tina, Bruce and Jenny get down to the floor as Dwaxi troopers enter and fire their weapons in all directions. Tina then gets back up to the hospital bed to protect Lizzy. Danny then joins her.

TINA
(cries; anxiously) “No! They must not harm my Lizzy!”

DANNY
(shouts) “Tina, get down from there! You’ll get killed yourself!”

TINA
“I’m not leaving without her!”

The Dwaxi troopers continue firing their weapons before Sean enters with Zurlt behind him.

SEAN
(shouts) No! Don’t fire on them! I told you to just scare them, not kill them!

ZURLT
(yells) Put down your weapons, you flaming numskulls! The son of the Directors commands it!

The Dwaxi troopers obey as they put their weapons down.

SEAN
Obeying me at last are you, Zurlt?

Sean and Zurlt then approach Alexandra, Danny, Tina, Bruce and Jenny as they gather around Lizzy’s bed.

SEAN
(cheerfully) Hello everyone! All of you here! Mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law and…of course…my dear darling wife.

A moment of bitter silence.

SEAN
(to Jenny) “I don’t know who you are. But I know you’re a nurse.” (to Zurlt) “Zurlt, get rid of her!”

JENNY
(protests) “But I have to save Lizzy!”

SEAN
“Kill her, Zurlt!”

BRUCE
“No Sean!”

ZURLT
(yells) “Die, woman! Die!!!”

Zurlt fires his weapon furiously and howls angrily as he guns Jenny down. Jenny shakes and shudders, screaming away before collapsing to the hospital floor and ending up dead. Tina then screams whilst the others are shocked and horrified.

SEAN
(warningly) “Don’t scream, Tina! Unless you wish Zurlt to gun you down! He doesn’t like women who scream you see!”

ZURLT
(angrily; to Tina) “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you if you scream!!! Behave like a woman, would you?!!!”

TINA
(angrily; to Zurlt) “You poisoned my daughter, you monster! And now you go killing the one nurse who could’ve saved her! Do you have to be so soulless and heartless?!”

ZURLT
(dismissively; to Tina) “Oh give over, will you?!”

Zurlt then smashes up a table which breaks into bits, causing everyone to gasp in horror.

ZURLT
(to Tina) “I find your petty words so dull! Do I have to listen to you, woman?! Being so meek and boring!!! You make me sick!!! Do I have to care about your daughter?!!!”

Tina then angrily tries to make a strike at Zurlt.

DANNY
“Tina, don’t!”

But Zurlt smacks Tina hard in the face remorselessly and she cries out in pain. Zurlt then forcefully pushes Tina back. She slips and ends up falling into Danny’s arms. She then sobs bitterly whilst Danny tries to comfort her.

SEAN
“Now! Since we’re all here, I suggest you lot pay attention!” (to Alexandra) “You Alex are to come with me as we shall do great things together!”

ALEXANDRA
“I’m not going anywhere with you, Sean!”

SEAN
“But you must. We have so much to talk about. About our future together. Since you’re my wife, we have our baby to consider.”

ALEXANDRA
“Get stuffed, loser!”

SEAN
(to Alexandra) “Touchy, touchy! Don’t lose your temper, dear!” (to Bruce) “You! Bruce!”

BRUCE
(bitterly) “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t arrest you now!”

SEAN
“You can’t! The Dwaxi are the police around here!” (Pause) “Now, that apparatus on Lizzy’s face.”

BRUCE
“What about it?”

SEAN
“Take it off!”

DANNY
“Are you mad, Sean? Lizzy’s dying and it’s because of your ‘Dwaxy’ friends.”

SEAN
(ignores Danny; to Bruce) “Take it off, Bruce. Unless I have to order Zurlt to shoot you! Or better yet, have Zurlt make a blood bath out of your little sister!”

TINA
(angrily; to Sean) “You horrible, little…”

SEAN
(forcefully; to Bruce) “Make your choice, Brucey boy! Make it quick!”

Zurlt then charges his weapon vengefully at Bruce. Eventually, Bruce reluctantly takes the apparatus off little Lizzy’s face.

BRUCE
(quietly; to Lizzy) “I’m very sorry, little sis.”

After Bruce has taken Lizzy’s apparatus off her face, Zurlt lowers his weapon.

SEAN
(gratified) “Thank you, Bruce. Very kind of you to do so.”

BRUCE
“What happens now, Sean? Do we all end up dead? Like you’re going to be?!”

ALEXANDRA
“How could you do this, Sean? How could you let these crooks kill my sister?”

SEAN
“How could I not? And she’s not dying by the way. She’s adapting to the Dwaxi conditions.” (Pause) “Anyway you said you wanted to be rid of your family, Alex.”

ALEXANDRA
(protests) “I did not…”

SEAN
(interrupts) “I heard you utter it from your own lips, you selfish little cow! Don’t try to deny it!” (Pause) “Now! Whilst Alex comes with me, the rest of you will go with Zurlt to the Brecon Beacons! You’ll be kept there under guard whilst we witness our final victory!”

ZURLT
(amused; gloats) “Hey! Scary Sean! They don’t even know it was you who poisoned your little sister-in-law in the first place, do they?”

SEAN
(bitterly) “Shut your mouth, Zurlt!”

ALEXANDRA
(shocked) “What?!”

DANNY
“What did he say, Sean?!”

TINA
(horrified) “You poisoned my little girl, Sean?! You tried to kill her?! You horrendous swine!”

SEAN
(bitterly; to Zurlt) “You see! You see what you’ve done now, Zurlt! You’ve ruined it for me!”

ZURLT
(taunts) “Oh sorry! Did I say something wrong, Big Sean?”

Zurlt laughs out loud mockingly as Alexandra, Danny, Tina and Bruce are shocked and horrified whilst Sean stands before them.

---

SCENE #189 – INT – TARDIS CONSOLE ROOM – N/A
Back in the TARDIS with the Doctor, Nyssa, Billy, Enid and Fred, they contemplate what to do next. They recover after seeing the horrors of the Dwaxi realm on the scanner screen. The TARDIS suddenly shudders for a moment.

BILLY
What was that?! An earthquake?

NYSSA
Doctor, the Dwaxi fleet we saw invading Earth. They’re flooding through the vault lines. Travelling across the void and entering our universe. It means that…

DOCTOR
(interjects) The Void’s energies are neutralising. Reality is breaking apart and stability is collapsing. That’s just too chaotic to even contemplate.

ENID
What’s the Doctor talking about, Billy?

BILLY
I think the Doctor means this, Mum. The more the Dwaxi enter and invade our universe as well as spend time on Earth, the more they’ll destroy everything. And I mean everything.

FRED
(astonished) What?! You mean…the whole of God’s created universe will be destroyed by the Dwaxi if they remain.

DOCTOR
Exactly! The laws of physics will be contradicted if more Dwaxi armies march in to invade Earth as well as the cosmos.

NYSSA
So, we have to stop them.

DOCTOR
Yes! We have to stop their influence on Earth before they create a catastrophe. The question is…how to go about it?

NYSSA
Can’t we stop the invasion fleet at this moment? They’re still sending ships through the rift.

DOCTOR
“It’s too late for that I’m afraid. The invasion is already complete. And there’s no way we can stop the fleet without generating an energy barrier around the rift.”

NYSSA
“And we can’t do that.”

DOCTOR
“No. The TARDIS may be spectacular but the old girl’s getting on a bit, meaning no disrespect. I wouldn’t want to put her under any strain for the sake of generating an energy barrier.”

BILLY
“Couldn’t we just close off the rift altogether? Stop more Dwaxi invading?”

DOCTOR
“And cause a breach to stretch even further for the Dwaxi that have already invaded to remain in our universe? I don’t think so!”

BILLY
“Not if they all get killed.”

DOCTOR
“Are you contemplating genocide, Billy?”

BILLY
(hesitantly) “Just an idea. Surely it’s logical for them to be dead since they don’t care about others.”

NYSSA
“There’s nothing logical about murder, Billy.”

BILLY
(ashamed) “No. No there isn’t” (Pause) “Sorry I mentioned it.”

FRED
“There must be something we can do, Doctor.”

ENID
“Yes! There must be something! We can’t let it all end for nothing!”

The TARDIS shudders again, as the Doctor thinks and everyone else loses their balance.

NYSSA
“Doctor?!”

DOCTOR
(thinks) “Let me think a minute. Let me think.”

A moment of tense silence ensues before the Doctor looks up at Fred.

DOCTOR
(curiously) “Fred? The Aqua Systems Revival project plant you’re working at.”

FRED
“In the Brecon Beacons, yes.”

DOCTOR
“Well you said that it’s a project intent on revitalising and revolutionising the water supply on this planet.”

FRED
“That’s its mission statement, yes.”

NYSSA
(realises) “Doctor, you said it’s Martin and Helen Black, Sean’s parents, who set up the project.”

BILLY
“And the project is to distribute Yentias drugs to everyone.”

DOCTOR
“Yes! Perhaps it’s time to visit the Aqua Systems Revival project building again.” (to Fred) “Do you know your way around the building, Fred? And how it works?”

FRED
“Of course I do, Doctor. I also know where the manager’s office is. We might find some information there.”

DOCTOR
(gratified) Right! It’s the ASR project planet in the Brecon Beacons then! (to everyone) Hold on tight, everyone!

NYSSA
You’re certain we’ll be able to get to the ASR project plant in the Brecon Beacon, Doctor?

DOCTOR
Certainly, Nyssa! It’s out of this Dwaxi realm and back into our universe we go!

The Doctor pulls a lever and the TARDIS shudders vibrantly again. The Doctor, Nyssa, Billy, Enid and Fred hang on, as they travel in the TARDIS on a course back through the rift to return to Earth in our universe.

---

© Tim Bradley, 2018

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