Chapter 5
SCENE #49 – INT – CORRIDOR, U.N.I.T. HQ – N/A
In the corridor leading to the central hub of U.N.I.T. operations…
DONNA
Will we get a clearer idea as to what this madhouse we’re in is at this central hub of yours?
KATE
Hopefully, yes. Though some of you might not like the answers you’re about to hear.
BRIGADIER
Then again, there may be some answers you will like.
MAGAMBO
This way, ladies and gentlemen.
DOCTOR 5
Yes, come along, everyone. Let’s follow our hosts.
DOCTOR 10
As to whether we will like the answers we’re about to hear…
DOCTORS 13+5+10
(in unison) …That is a matter of opinion.
On the way to the central hub of U.N.I.T. operations…
BILLY
(quietly) You’ve met U.N.I.T. in your travels before then, have you, Donna?
DONNA
(quietly) Once. When they helped me, the Doctor and a friend of ours, Martha, to thwart a Sontaran invasion of Earth. They created ATMOS, a car navigation system, which the Sontarans used to change the Earth’s atmosphere. (muses) This U.N.I.T. is different compared with the one I met back then.
NYSSA
(quietly) This does seem to be a highly technologically-advanced place. Even with the nineteen-nineties and twenty twenties combined. (Pause; to Yaz; Dan) Did you encounter U.N.I.T. in your travels, Yaz; Dan?
YAZ
(quietly) Not exactly. We met Kate when Earth was about to be enveloped by a big space event called the Flux.
DAN
(quietly) I wonder what we’ll find in this central hub of theirs.
NYSSA
(quietly) Hopefully, we can be vigilant in the face of overwhelming odds. The Doctor would appreciate that. All three of them.
BILLY
(quietly) Yeah. I’m willing to be brave enough to stay alert.
DOCTOR 13
(quietly) Will you five be quiet back there?
DOCTOR 10
(quietly) Yeah. We’re about to enter the central hub of U.N.I.T. operations.
DOCTOR 5
(quietly) We’ve arrived. We don’t want to miss out on anything that’s being said.
SCENE #50 – INT – CENTRAL OPS ROOM, U.N.I.T. HQ – N/A
Eventually, in the central hub of U.N.I.T. operations, the Brigadier, Kate, Magambo and her soldiers escort the Thirteenth, Fifth and Tenth Doctors, Yaz, Dan, Nyssa, Billy and Donna in.
BRIGADIER
Welcome, everyone. Welcome to the heart of our temporary U.N.I.T. operations.
BILLY
It’s impressive, I’ll give you that.
NYSSA
Very impressive indeed.
DOCTOR 10
Hold on, hold on, Brigadier, if you’re from the nineteen-nineties, shouldn’t you be retired?
BRIGADIER
I am retired, Doctor. Officially, that is. Unofficially and in collaboration with my daughter, I’m back on active service.
KATE
And I really appreciate the support, father.
BRIGADIER
It’s a pleasure, my dear. I have enough experience for both of us in this situation.
DOCTOR 13
(realises) Why? Is that Petronella Osgood I see?
OSGOOD
(happily) It certainly is. Hello, Doctor…Doctors.
The Thirteenth Doctor goes over to reunite with Osgood.
DOCTOR 13
Petronella, I love the grey jacket and boots. The shades are pretty cool too.
OSGOOD
Why, thank you. The shades are necessary by the way. Sometimes it can be hard for me to see in this dimension we’re in.
DOCTOR 13
That’s fair. (whispers) I won’t ask which Osgood you are. You’re fighting for the same cause after all.
OSGOOD
(whispers) Thank you, Doctor. (breathlessly) And it is marvellous to see all you Doctors and your friends in the same room. I’ve read a lot about the Doctor, Nyssa and Billy as well as the Doctor and Donna and the Doctor, Yaz and Dan. You of course were involved in U.N.I.T.’s activities before I came aboard, but it’s such a thrill to see all of you…
KATE
(interrupts) Inhaler, Osgood.
OSGOOD
(realises; calms down) Oh. Yes, of course. Sorry.
Osgood takes her inhaler, breathing in and out and she soon calms down.
DOCTOR 5
(realises) And I see Captain Mike Yates and Sergeant John Benton before me.
DOCTOR 10
We assumed you two would be here of course.
MIKE
We certainly are. Hello, Doctors.
BENTON
It really is good to see you, Doctors.
The Fifth and Tenth Doctors go over to reunite with Mike Yates and Sergeant Benton.
BILLY
(quietly; to Nyssa) Quite a number of reunions going on.
NYSSA
(quietly; to Billy) The Doctor knows a lot of people, Billy.
DOCTOR 5
(realises) Wait a minute though. If you’re still a captain and you’re still a sergeant, that means that…
MIKE
Yes, Doctor. We’re from the nineteen seventies.
DOCTOR 10
(intrigued) Really? I thought you were from the nineteen eighties.
BENTON
Trust us, Doctor. It was a challenge to get our heads around this, but once the Brigadier and Miss Stewart explained the situation, it became clearer.
MIKE
Still head-scratching, but a little clearer.
YAZ
Perhaps, we should get on with discussing why we’re here?
DAN
If this is what your temporary U.N.I.T. HQ looks like, then I’m a monkey’s uncle. This seems too advanced for the twenty twenties or whatever time period we’re meant to be in.
DONNA
Yeah, how come it looks like the ‘Star Trek’ Enterprise?
DOCTOR 13
Dan and Donna have a point. How did U.N.I.T. acquire this technology?
BRIGADIER
Perhaps you should ask the other member of our family.
DOCTOR 5
(confused) Other member?
KATE
Everyone, meet Francesca. Francesca, meet everyone.
At that moment, a woman, sitting in a chair, swivels around to meet them.
FRANCESCA
Greetings, everyone. I’m Francesca Lethbridge-Stewart. I’m from the forty-ninth century.
DOCTOR 10
(shocked) What?!
DOCTOR 13
You’re from the forty-ninth century?!
DOCTOR 10
(shocked) WHAT?!
BRIGADIER
Yes. Technically, she’s my great-great-great-great-great-great granddaughter.
KATE
And I’m her great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother.
DOCTOR 10
(shocked) WHAT?!!!
FRANCESCA
I’m the head of U.N.I.T. in my future, carrying on the great and noble fight for Earth.
DOCTOR 5
So, you know all about us then.
FRANCESCA
Indeed, I do, Doctor. Please don’t ask for too many details about my future. Even you Doctors know the consequences of knowing too much about the future.
DOCTOR 5
Yes indeed, we all know the risks of too much foreknowledge.
NYSSA
So, what exactly is the situation here? How come three groups of Doctors and their companions were in the same place and at the same time?
BILLY
And how come they happened to be in London and New York combined?
FRANCESCA
You and your friends were in another dimension, Mr. and Mrs. Walker. A dimension where fragments of Earth from both Space and Time were extracted and placed into one spatial-temporal location.
DOCTOR 13
(triumphantly) Ha! I knew it had something to do with spatial-temporal extraction. It’s not the Weeping Angels who are behind all this, is it?
KATE
No, thankfully. No Weeping Angels were sighted in this interdimensional network we’re in.
BRIGADIER
As far as we know, that is.
BILLY
You said ‘interdimensional network’ before. What is that?
FRANCESCA
Osgood, please be so good as to show us the interdimensional network on-screen.
OSGOOD
Yes, ma’am.
Osgood types away at a computer terminal. Eventually, a display of an interdimensional network is shown on a large screen in the central ops of U.N.I.T. HQ.
FRANCESCA
As far as we’ve been able to ascertain, we no longer exist in Space and Time. We’re in an environment outside the dimensions. We should be in the Void, and yet this reality has been built for us to co-exist and survive.
DOCTOR 13
(realises) Of course! That would explain why the TARDIS didn’t pick up any spatial-temporal coordinates when Yaz, Dan and I arrived in the London and New York zone. Why they registered zero.
DOCTOR 10
Same for me and Donna.
DOCTOR 5
Same for me, Nyssa and Billy.
FRANCESCA
(continues) The red centre on the map is where we are. Where our temporary U.N.I.T. HQ is. The other coloured sections are dimensions connecting to the centre. Each section contains a habitable zone for any kind to inhabit.
OSGOOD
The zone you three Doctors and your friends were in was the yellow zone. Also called zone six which contains London and New York from November in the year twenty twenty-three.
DOCTOR 5
So, the London and New York we were in was extracted from the same temporal location of twenty twenty-three on Earth.
DOCTOR 10
And you, err… Francesca… said that each section is a dimension containing various fragments of Earth’s history interconnecting with each other.
FRANCESCA
That is correct. As far as we’ve been able to gather from our research, one dimension contains eighteen sixty-three and twenty-five sixty-three interacting with each other; another dimension contains nineteen seventy-three and nineteen eighty-three interacting with eleven seventy-three and eleven eighty-three; and another dimension [contains…]
DOCTOR 13
(interrupts; impatiently) Yeah, yeah, we get the idea. But how were you able to set all this up? And so quickly?
DOCTOR 5
And how were you able to coordinate among U.N.I.T. personnel like the Brigadier, Kate, Osgood, Benton and Yates from different time periods?
FRANCESCA
It’s a long story. And it would take a lot of time to explain.
DOCTOR 10
Yeah, well, we are outside Space and Time, so…
FRANCESCA
(interrupts) Let’s say I am an expert in understanding quantum physics. U.N.I.T. has learnt a lot over the years from my time period.
BRIGADIER
There is more to this situation than you think, Doctors.
OSGOOD
In each of the dimensions containing convergences of various spatial-temporal locations, we’ve been tracking the movements of your various incarnations.
DONNA
What? There’s more Doctors in those dimensions?!
DOCTOR 10
(impatiently) Yes, yes, we’ve established that, Donna.
YAZ
(abjectly) I don’t think it was confirmed by this point.
BILLY
So, there are different groups of Doctors and their friends trying to survive in each of the dimensions you mentioned.
NYSSA
And presumably they’re having to thwart a number of opponents along the way.
MIKE
That’s true. We’ve identified various versions of the Doctor and their friends in the zones we’ve established using advanced U.N.I.T. probe technology. Like you said, Mrs. Walker, there are opponents such as Daleks, Sontarans, Autons and Zygons for our Doctors and friends to deal with.
NYSSA
Goodness.
YAZ
I didn’t realise there were so many of you, Doctor.
DAN
Yeah. Makes me wonder how long you’ve lived.
DOCTOR 13
I prefer not to share too much about my past. I prefer the present as well as the future.
BILLY
Well, we’ve got to save your other selves and their friends, haven’t we, Doctor?
DONNA
If we can get out of our dimension, then so can they.
BENTON
And it’s our job to help you and your friends, Doctor…Doctors…in any way we can. Our temporary U.N.I.T. HQ is dedicated to help the one person who has saved Earth multiple times before. It’s the least we can do.
BRIGADIER
(gradually) Thank you, Benton.
KATE
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.
DOCTOR 13
Let’s hope we’ll be able to cross in and out of those dimensions successfully and safely.
DOCTOR 10
Yeah. And restore balance in the fabric of reality, which can be a tricky thing.
DOCTOR 5
Indeed. I wonder how each of our other selves are currently coping in those dimensions.
SCENE #51 – EXT – SAILING SHIP (1863) (ZONE #1) – DAY, AFTERNOON
Meanwhile, aboard a sailing ship in the year 1863, the First Doctor maintains the ship steady at the helm, as it trudges on through a storm. The Doctor’s granddaughter Susan and one of her schoolteachers Barbara Wright is at his side, as a splurge of seawater soaks them through momentarily. Each is having to call loudly above the sound of the waves.
SUSAN
(cries) Grandfather, there’s no land in sight. It’s just waves going up and down.
BARBARA
(cries) There’s no sign of a crew on board. Where do you think they’ve gone?
DOCTOR 1
(cries) Eh, presumably, my dear, they’ve all abandoned ship. This ship could be the Mary Celeste for all we know.
SUSAN
(cries) It can’t be the Mary Celeste. There’s no plaque on board to say so.
DOCTOR 1
(cries) If there is a plaque, it’ll be better to see it when the wind and rain stops. (frustrated) Oh, this infernal weather is clouding my eyes.
BARBARA
(cries) I’m soaked through. I’ve never felt this cold before.
SUSAN
(cries) Me neither.
DOCTOR 1
(calls) Chesterton! Chesterton, where are you? (groans) Oh where’s that fellow when I need him?
At that moment, Ian Chesterton appears to join the First Doctor, Barbara and Susan.
IAN
(cries) Sorry, Doctor. I tried to climb up the rigging to get to the sails, but the wind’s too strong. I daren’t risk going up any further.
DOCTOR 1
(cries; impatiently) Yes, yes, well, never mind that now, Chesterton. Help me with steering this helm. Keep it steady. My hands are so cold and wet, they can barely hold it.
Ian obliges, as he helps the Doctor at the helm. Another splurge of seawater soaks them through momentarily.
BARBARA
(cries) What do you suppose is happening, Doctor? How did we end up here? And on a sailing ship in the middle of an ocean.
SUSAN
(cries) I was about to stay behind on Earth with David.
DOCTOR 1
(cries; reassuringly) Trust me, my dear Susan. We will get you back to David soon and as safe and sound as possible. Once this weather has finished…
At that moment, the rain suddenly stops. The waves cease going up and down as well. A moment of silence.
IAN
(puzzled) You were saying, Doctor?
DOCTOR 1
(astonished) Well, isn’t that extraordinary? Most extraordinary. The moment I said, ‘once this weather has finished’, the storm suddenly stopped. As if someone heard my words.
BARBARA
Clearly a coincidence.
DOCTOR 1
Never underestimate the shifting of temporal events, my dear Barbara. Besides, I don’t believe in coincidences. They’re too convenient.
SUSAN
I don’t believe in coincidences either. Where do you suppose we are, grandfather? There’s still no land mass around.
DOCTOR 1
I’ve no idea, Susan. For all I know, we could be somewhere in the Indian Ocean.
BARBARA
What time period do you suppose we are in then?
DOCTOR 1
Well, judging by the architecture of this sailing ship, I’d say we’re somewhere in the second half of the nineteenth century. Nothing out of place to suggest otherwise.
At that moment, a spaceship comes flying out from the cloudy sky. The First Doctor, Ian, Susan and Barbara look up to see the crashing spaceship.
IAN
(shrewdly) You were saying, Doctor?
DOCTOR 1
(irritably) I wish you wouldn’t keep repeating that. (Pause) This is even more extraordinary! A spaceship crashing its way to Earth. I wonder where it will land.
BARBARA
(realises) Doctor?
DOCTOR 1
Yes? What is it, my dear? What is it?
BARBARA
(apprehensively) Was that island there before?
DOCTOR 1
What island?
SUSAN
(realises) I see it too! Grandfather, up ahead!
IAN
(realises) Yes, I can see the island as well.
Everyone looks to see the island that has appeared out of nowhere.
BARBARA
That wasn’t there before, was it?
SUSAN
It certainly wasn’t. There was nothing but sea a moment ago. Why didn’t we see the island before?
DOCTOR 1
A quick end to a storm, the sudden arrival of a spaceship in the sky, and now an island that’s appeared out of nowhere. (Pause) Fascinating. (chuckles) Most fascinating.
IAN
(cautiously) What do we do now then, Doctor?
DOCTOR 1
Do? What do we do? Hmm. (Pause) Well, it’s quite simple, my boy.
IAN
(confused) It is?
DOCTOR 1
Oh yes, yes. We make our way to the island. If the spaceship crashes there, we’ll be able to greet whoever’s aboard. (cheers) Straight ahead!
The Doctor takes charge of the ship’s helm again, as he, Ian, Barbara and Susan continue to make their way to the island.
SCENE #52 – INT – SPACESHIP (2563) (ZONE #1) – DAY, AFTERNOON
Meanwhile, aboard the spaceship crashing to Earth, the Second Doctor attempts to pilot the ship with Zoe helping him out. Jamie watches what’s on the ship’s viewscreen as they crash to Earth.
ZOE
(anxiously) It’s no good, Doctor. Every time I decipher an algorithm in the ship’s computer, a new one keeps popping up. It’s like the ship has a mind of its own.
DOCTOR 2
We must keep trying! Keep going, Zoe! We can’t give up now!
ZOE
Your piloting of the ship isn’t helping much.
DOCTOR 2
I’m doing the best I can, Zoe. It’s really difficult and very frustrating when the ship’s controls don’t allow you to pull up.
ZOE
There must be a control to help you throttle back and pull the ship up.
DOCTOR 2
Well, feel free to double-check, Zoe, because I can’t see any control switch or lever to indicate that.
JAMIE
(realises) Hey, Zoe; Doctor. Look out of the front window!
ZOE
It’s called a viewscreen, Jamie. Not a window.
JAMIE
(insistently) Look! Don’t you see it?
DOCTOR 2
See what? What have you seen, Jamie?
JAMIE
We’re about to crash-land onto an island in the middle of the sea. I’m sure the island wasn’t there before.
ZOE
(realises) Yes, Jamie. I do see the island now. And there’s a sailing ship heading towards it.
DOCTOR 2
We must do everything we can to land the spaceship safely in one piece. Deploy the spaceship’s landing gear, Zoe. It could help to slow us down as we reach ground level.
ZOE
Right. Deploying landing gear.
Zoe presses a switch on a control panel to deploy the spaceship’s landing gear.
JAMIE
‘Ere, Doctor, what can I do?
DOCTOR 2
Brace yourself for impact, Jamie. This could end up being a bumpy ride.
JAMIE
Right.
DOCTOR 2
You’d better do the same, Zoe. Hold onto something as we’re about to crash-land.
Zoe does as the Doctor says, as she and Jamie hold onto something aboard the ship.
ZOE
(concerned) What about you, Doctor? Aren’t you going to hold onto something?
DOCTOR 2
I need to pilot the ship as best as I can in order to land us somewhere safe as we crash. (reassuringly) You just keep holding on, you two. I’ll be alright.
JAMIE
(despairingly) How did we end up in this mess, Doctor? We were about to escape the Time Lords in the TARDIS and then we found ourselves falling into that whirly thing in space.
ZOE
Maelstrom, Jamie. It was a maelstrom in Space and Time.
JAMIE
Aye, well, whatever it was called, we fell through it, didn’t we?
DOCTOR 2
We’ll talk about how we ended up in this mess later. Right now, we’re about to crash.
ZOE
(shocked) What? Right this minute?
DOCTOR 2
Yes! (cries) Hold on tight, you two! Hold tight!
As the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe brace for impact, the spaceship soon crashes onto the island itself. There are a series of judders and jerks, as the ship bounces up and down whilst it’s crash-landing onto the island. The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe cry out loud whilst they hold on for dear life.
JAMIE
(cries) I wasn’t expecting this is how we end up. Crashing onto a wee island in an abandoned spaceship.
ZOE
(cries) Don’t give up hope, Jamie. We may survive this.
The crash-landing goes on for another ten seconds. Eventually, the ship slows to a halt. This lasts for another ten seconds. Once the ship has stopped, a tense moment of silence. Gradually, the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe relax and sigh with relief, as they soon start getting up from the floor.
DOCTOR 2
(gradually) Is everyone alright? Jamie; Zoe?
ZOE
(reassuringly) I’m fine, Doctor. Really, I’m fine. (Pause) Though, I think I might have bruised my right knee cap.
DOCTOR 2
(pleased) Splendid. Jamie, what about you?
JAMIE
(panics) Fire! There’s a fire in here!
Everyone looks to see the fire spreading.
DOCTOR 2
(urgently) Quick, Zoe! The fire extinguisher is next to you! There on the wall! Use it!
ZOE
Right!
Zoe sees the fire extinguisher and takes it off the wall. She makes her way over to the fire and uses the fire extinguisher by pressing the trigger on the nozzle. Foam shoots out and douses the flames. Eventually, the fire is out. Another moment of silence.
JAMIE
(sighs; relieved) Aww, thank goodness, the fire is out.
ZOE
(reassuringly) It’s alright, Jamie. Ships like this are equipped for fire emergencies.
DOCTOR 2
Perhaps you’d better look around the ship, Zoe. See that there aren’t any more fires on board. I’d like to think the ship is still in one piece before we leave it.
ZOE
Of course. I’ll have a look around. I won’t be long.
DOCTOR 2
We won’t leave without you, Zoe.
Zoe soon leaves with the fire extinguisher in her hands to explore the ship. Jamie joins the Doctor, as they look to see what’s outside the spaceship.
JAMIE
(pleased) Aye, now we can see what’s outside the ship. Through the front window too. Not a viewy-screen or whatever Zoe called it.
DOCTOR 2
(muses) You know what, Jamie? This island seems pleasant. Quite a number of green hills and the sky is quite cloudy. Almost dry, I’d say.
JAMIE
Aye, it almost puts me in mind of Scotland when I see those green hills. (Pause) So, what do we do now, Doctor.
DOCTOR 2
(gradually) Well, once Zoe confirms there aren’t more fires to worry about aboard this ship, we can make our way out to explore the island. That sailing ship you and Zoe saw. We can go to it and see what people are on it. Ask them if they know anything about what’s happening here.
JAMIE
(realises) Och, you think they may know more than what we already know.
DOCTOR 2
I’m not sure, Jamie. There have been a lot of odd things happening to us lately. What with us being on that war games planet and then trying to escape the Time Lords before we fell into that maelstrom. And to top it all, we stepped out of the TARDIS to find ourselves aboard a spaceship crashing to Earth. Hopefully, the TARDIS is okay where it is aboard this ship.
JAMIE
This is part of our usual routine though, Doctor. Odd things happening.
DOCTOR 2
Not like this. For one thing, the TARDIS chronometers didn’t register what place and time we were in. They just read zero. That was before we exited the TARDIS and found ourselves aboard this spaceship.
JAMIE
(realises) Och, I remember that now.
DOCTOR 2
The spaceship we’re on. My guess is it comes from the twenty-sixth century.
JAMIE
So?
DOCTOR 2
Well, tell me, Jamie. The sailing ship you and Zoe saw. What time period would you say it was from?
JAMIE
Ooh, I don’t know. About seventeenth century, I think.
DOCTOR 2
(muses) A spaceship from the future crash-landing onto the planet Earth in its past. It seems very peculiar, doesn’t it?
JAMIE
Hey, you don’t think this spaceship ended up travelling back in time and we just joined it for the ride?
DOCTOR 2
I don’t know, Jamie. I honestly don’t know. But I am determined to find out the answers to our mysterious situation.
At that moment, Zoe returns.
ZOE
I’ve checked as much as I can, Doctor. There don’t seem to be any more fires aboard to worry about.
DOCTOR 2
Good, good.
JAMIE
(relieved) Well, that’s a relief.
DOCTOR 2
Yes, it is, isn’t it? (Pause) Now, before anything else happens, let’s leave this spaceship. We’re going to try to make contact with the people aboard that sailing ship you two saw earlier.
ZOE
Good idea, Doctor. I wonder who we’ll meet aboard that sailing ship.
SCENE #53 – EXT – ISLAND (1863/2563) (ZONE #1) – DAY, AFTERNOON
A short while later, the First Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan are exploring the island.
SUSAN
It does seem pretty quiet.
BARBARA
Yes, it does, doesn’t it? Not a soul to be found. No birds either.
IAN
Doctor, do you think what happened to us on the sailing ship could have been a result of us falling into that maelstrom in Space and Time? It could explain how Susan ended up with us when we were about to leave her on Earth in the twenty-second century.
DOCTOR 1
Susan was caught up in the TARDIS’ dimensional energy field, my boy. Besides, I’m not sure what occurred to lead us to this present situation we’re in. But we’re definitely not on Earth, I’m sure of that. The air here tastes rather sterile. Not pleasant at all. No, not pleasant at all.
SUSAN
Will the TARDIS be alright where she is, grandfather?
DOCTOR 1
Oh, don’t worry about the TARDIS, my dear child. The Ship is safe where it is, in the hold of the sailing ship. It’ll still be there once we get back to it.
BARBARA
Provided no-one comes along to steal either the TARDIS or the sailing ship or both. It’s a miracle we didn’t end up shipwrecked.
DOCTOR 1
My dear Barbara, you worry too much.
IAN
Where do you suppose this island is, Doctor? Is this one of the English Channel islands?
DOCTOR 1
(impatiently) Oh dear, dear, dear. I sometimes wish you three would stop asking me questions. As if I have all the answers. I’m as much in the dark as you three are. I don’t know if this is one of the English Channel islands, Chesterfield. The TARDIS wasn’t very helpful to us when the information the instruments gave us kept saying zero all the time.
SUSAN
Sorry, grandfather. We didn’t think…
DOCTOR 1
(interrupts) Ah, but that’s the thing, you see. You should have thought before you asked your questions.
IAN
(realises) Doctor!
DOCTOR 1
(impatiently) Oh, what is it now, dear boy? What is it?
IAN
Look up there. See the sky? On the other side of the island? (Pause) There are black clouds over there. It looks as if it’s night-time over there.
DOCTOR 1
Yes, my dear boy, I’m taking note of that.
IAN
(gradually) And yet it’s daytime where we are.
BARBARA
(realises) Yes, I see what you mean, Ian. Almost as if someone has covered a blanket of darkness over one half of the island, while the rest is in bright daylight!
SUSAN
(disturbed) There’s something else. I sense temporal emissions emanating from the dark side of the island with my mind. It’s almost as if two time periods of this island are colliding with each other. But that can’t be it, can it?
IAN
(intrigued) How can you be so sure you’re receiving temporal emissions, Susan?
SUSAN
I don’t know. But I’m sensing them all the same. (to Doctor 1) Grandfather, can you sense them too?
DOCTOR 1
(realises) Yes, yes, Susan. I can sense them clearly. I don’t know how and why, but there are two time periods colliding with each other on this island. One from the past, the other from the future.
BARBARA
But how can that be, Doctor?
DOCTOR 2
(interjects) That’s precisely what we hope to find out, Barbara.
At that moment, the First Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan are surprised to see the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe turn up.
DOCTOR 1
(surprised) Who are you? Where did you three come from? I thought this island… (trails off; thinks; realises) Wait. You seem familiar, sir.
DOCTOR 2
Ah! The penny’s beginning to drop, isn’t it?
BARBARA
Doctor, do you know these three?
IAN
Did you three come from the spaceship that crash-landed on the island?
JAMIE
Aye. And it’s a good thing we were able to get out. The doors were hard to unlock.
ZOE
Are you from the sailing ship?
SUSAN
Yes, but things aren’t what they seem.
DOCTOR 1
(irritably) Quiet, Susan. All of you, quiet a moment.
Everyone is stunned into silence by the First Doctor’s outburst.
DOCTOR 1
(to Doctor 2) How can I be sure you are who I think you are?
DOCTOR 2
Perhaps a telepathic conference will help.
DOCTOR 1
(gradually) Well, I suppose there’s no harm. Let’s get on with it then.
The First and Second Doctors stand perfectly still together.
DOCTOR 2
(focuses) Contact.
DOCTOR 1
(focuses) Contact.
In an instant, information buzzes between the two Doctors.
BARBARA
Doctor, what are you doing…?
SUSAN
(interrupts) Ssh! Don’t interrupt, Barbara. My grandfather is having a telepathic conference with this man.
IAN
Telepathic conference?
JAMIE
Hey, Zoe. Do you think the Doctor’s alright with his eyes closed and being perfectly still?
ZOE
I wouldn’t disturb him, Jamie. You might break the telepathic connection.
Eventually, the telepathic conference ends and the two Doctors open their eyes.
DOCTOR 1
So, you’re from my future then.
DOCTOR 2
I am indeed, yes.
DOCTOR 1
(impatiently) Yes, yes. Well, we haven’t got time to debate technicalities. We must resolve this mysterious crisis we’re in once and for all.
DOCTOR 2
I quite agree. Where do we start?
IAN
(interjects) Doctor, I heard these two young people call their friend ‘the Doctor’.
JAMIE
Aye. And we heard them call the old man ‘Doctor’ too.
ZOE
What’s going on? Who are these people?
DOCTOR 2
Oh, I’m dreadfully sorry. Where are our manners? (chuckles; aloud) Everyone, this is Jamie and Zoe. They’re my two best friends.
DOCTOR 1
And this is my granddaughter Susan, and these are her two schoolteachers, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
DOCTOR 2
As to who he is and who I am…well…
DOCTORS 1+2
(in unison) We are the Doctor.
BARBARA
(confused) I beg your pardon?
DOCTOR 2
He’s the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe. My past self.
DOCTOR 1
The original, you might say. And this, Ian, Barbara and Susan, happens to be my future self. He too is the Doctor.
IAN
(flummoxed) You two… are the same person?!
BARBARA
That’s impossible. That can’t be right.
JAMIE
How can the old man be you, Doctor? He doesn’t look anything like you.
ZOE
(amazed) Incredible. Two Doctors more or less in the same place and time.
SUSAN
(thrilled) I just knew he had to be you, grandfather. I just knew it.
SCENE #54 – INT – CENTRAL OPS ROOM, U.N.I.T. HQ – N/A
Meanwhile, back in the central hub of U.N.I.T. operations at the temporary U.N.I.T. HQ, the Thirteenth, Fifth and Tenth Doctors and their friends are about to be briefed by the Brigadier, Kate Stewart, Osgood and Francesca.
BRIGADIER
Right, everyone, listen up! Here’s our plan of action.
KATE
With your approval, Doctors, we’ll send each of you and your companions into different zones to rescue certain Doctors and their friends.
OSGOOD
We’ve been able to manipulate the gateways into the six interdimensional zones from here. We have run a number of tests to anticipate this high-scale rescue operation.
FRANCESCA
Of course, we didn’t expect you three and your friends to pop up at U.N.I.T. HQ so soon. The final test run hasn’t been achieved or approved.
DOCTOR 10
(cheerily) Then there’s no time like the present to put that final test run into practice.
BRIGADIER
You agree with our plan of action then?
DOCTOR 13
Of course. Me, Yaz and Dan will go into one zone; Donna and her Doctor will go into another; and Nyssa and Billy and their Doctor will go into another. It’s quite a straightforward plan.
DOCTOR 5
Mind you, we should have a say in the technicalities of how we jump from one zone into the next. We can look over and perfect any flaws in the dimension-jumping technology you have.
OSGOOD
That’s not a problem. We can show you what we have and we’re happy to hear feedback. Any suggestions to improve the technology would be welcome.
NYSSA
I’m very capable at analysing and perfecting any piece of technology.
BILLY
And I can prepare food and drink for each group to go into their zones.
DONNA
I’ll help you out, Billy. I want a say in deciding the number of packets of crisps and sandwiches we take.
MIKE
I’ll show you where our kitchens are once we’ve finished here.
BILLY
Thanks, Captain. Much appreciated.
YAZ
Dan and I can coordinate and examine the terrains of each zone we enter in order to procure some maps should we need them.
DAN
The thing is, how are we to know which Doctors and friends we have to rescue? How will we recognise them?
FRANCESCA
That’s not a problem, Mr. Lewis. (to Benton) Sergeant, if you would show us the presentation you’ve prepared for us.
Benton presses a button on a control panel and a presentation on the large screen appears for everyone to see, displaying various images.
BENTON
Here’s the situation as it stands. In zone one, which is green, there are two incarnations of the Doctor on an island in eighteen sixty-three and twenty-five sixty-three. One of the Doctors is the one the Brigadier and I first met in London during the Cybermen invasion. You remember, Brigadier sir?
BRIGADIER
Yes, Benton, I do remember. And I met the Doctor way before you did in the London underground with the Yetis.
BENTON
Of course, sir. (continues) Here in zone two, which is burnt orange, there’s the Doctor who worked with us at U.N.I.T. along with Jo Grant.
NYSSA
(surprised) Jo Grant?! She’s in one of those zones?
BENTON
(continues) And then there’s a Doctor with a question-mark handle umbrella, accompanied by a friend of his who seems to like using explosives.
BRIGADIER
I’ve met that Doctor and his friend once during an incident in Carbury in nineteen ninety-seven. The Doctor’s friend is Ace if I recall.
BILLY
(amazed) Wow, Ace! (realises) I mean, we’ve met Ace as well, Nyssa and I. During that business on the planet Lonmar. Both her and Jo Grant. We also met Jo again in the miniscope on Teruvada Sixteen.
NYSSA
And she and her Doctor as well as Ace and her Doctor helped us with the Prime Factor business.
BENTON
(continues) The third zone is dark green. That’s where the Doctor with the long scarf is. He’s accompanied by a soldier from the future.
BILLY
(realises) Hey, that’s Corporal James Darby. Or Private James Darby, as he would be with that Doctor.
BENTON
(continues) Also in zone three, there’s another Doctor in a multi-coloured coat with a young woman from America.
DOCTOR 5
Nyssa, Billy and I have met that Doctor in the multi-coloured coat a couple of times.
NYSSA
Yes. And we’ve met his double on Gallifrey. Maxil, he was called.
BILLY
The young woman from America is Peri. (intrigued) Is there a penguin travelling with the multi-coloured coat Doctor and Peri, Sergeant?
BENTON
No, sir. Not according to our records. (continues) There’s zone four, which is pure orange. A Doctor dressed up like Lord Byron is there, along with his young friend – a girl in fact. There’s also another Doctor dressed up in a leather jacket, along with his young friend, who is also a girl. Both blondes apparently. The girls, I mean. Not the Doctors.
BRIGADIER
Yes, thank you, Benton. There’s no need to be overly-specific.
DONNA
(concerned) Doctor, are you alright? You’ve gone pale. (Pause; prompts) Doctor?
DOCTOR 10
(quietly; shocked) Those friends of those Doctors. One of them is Rose.
DONNA
(realises) What, that’s Rose? The one travelling with the Doctor in the leather jacket.
DOCTOR 10
That’s what I looked like before he changed into me. (Pause) But oh Rose. Dear Rose…
The Tenth Doctor trails off and there’s a moment of silence. Eventually, the Tenth Doctor snaps out of it.
DOCTOR 10
(breathes deeply) Don’t mind me, Donna. I’m just reflecting on good times.
BENTON
(continues) And finally we have zone five, which is dark blue. There’s a Doctor in a bow tie accompanied by two friends – a red-head and a young man. And there’s a silver-haired Doctor joined by a black girl.
BILLY
(realises) Nyssa, that red-haired girl and the young man travelling with the Doctor in the bow tie. Didn’t we meet them at the Intergalactic Restaurant at the End of the Universe once?
NYSSA
Yes. Amy and Rory, I believe they’re called.
BENTON
(gradually) And that’s about it, I think. Those are the five zones that our Doctors at U.N.I.T. HQ have to attend to.
FRANCESCA
Once the preparations are made, including checks on our dimension-jumping technology and the provision of food and drink, we’ll be on target. We’ll send you Doctors and your friends a group at a time into the zone we designate.
DOCTOR 13
I assume we won’t use communicators whilst we’re inside the zones and maintain silence whilst we avoid getting caught by the enemy.
KATE
That’s correct. We’ll provide you with checkpoint discs in order for you to return to U.N.I.T. HQ once your mission in the zones is complete.
OSGOOD
You’ll have three hours to use up in the zones before the power drains out. Once that happens, you won’t be able to return to U.N.I.T. HQ so easily.
DOCTOR 5
So, I take it you won’t be providing us with U.N.I.T. troops in the zones. It’ll be just us Doctors and our friends entering the zones.
BRIGADIER
Correct. Against my better judgement, that’s the way it has to be done.
DOCTOR 10
That’s fair. I prefer not to have any soldiers with guns accompanying us anyway.
DOCTOR 13
I’m very impressed with how you’ve put this plan together. You and Kate especially, Brigadier. The two of you are amazing when you work together.
DOCTOR 10
I second that. We’ve been lucky enough to have you two good people and your colleagues to help us out in this way.
DOCTOR 5
Concurred. I don’t know where we’d be without you.
KATE
Thank you, Doctors.
BRIGADIER
Not at all, Doctors. Always happy to help and pitch in. And it’s been nice to get to know my daughter better.
KATE
Likewise. I’m glad we’ve been able to get to know each other better.
DOCTOR 10
I’m sure it’s been nice for you both. (Pause) But on the other hand, you two still shouldn’t meet like this. Especially from different time zones.
DOCTOR 5
Indeed. You run the risk of knowing too much about each other’s future. You shouldn’t be interacting with each other, even if we’re outside Space and Time.
NYSSA
I’m sure things will be restored to normal once we’ve carried out this plan of theirs.
BILLY
Yeah. (to Doctor 13) You said we’re likely to forget everything that’s happened, didn’t you, Doctor.
DOCTOR 13
Indeed, I did, yes, Thanks for remembering, Billy.
YAZ
Besides, you can always tell us to shut up and not breathe a word to a living soul about today.
DAN
Yeah. You can count on us to do that, Doctors. Scout’s honour.
DONNA
The priority is we get the other Doctors and their friends out of those zones in order to bring them here. And hopefully find out who’s behind this ruckus.
DOCTOR 10
(gradually; pleased) Well said, Donna. We can’t go wrong with you keeping us focussed. You’re brilliant.
DONNA
Oh do shut up.
DOCTOR 5
So, that’s settled. We can put the operation suggested by the Brigadier, Kate and everyone else at U.N.I.T. into…well, operation.
BRIGADIER
(pleased) Splendid. Osgood, escort the Doctors and Mrs. Walker to where the dimension-jumping technology is. From there, they can do their checks.
OSGOOD
This way, Doctors; Mrs. Walker.
NYSSA
Please, call me Nyssa.
DOCTOR 13
We’re right behind you, Petronella.
Osgood leads the way out for the three Doctors and Nyssa.
MIKE
Mr. Walker; Miss Noble, if you’ll accompany me, I’ll escort you to the kitchens.
BILLY
Thanks, Captain.
DONNA
Yeah, thanks. Hope the bread for the sandwiches isn’t past its sell-by-date.
Mike Yates leads Billy and Donna out to the kitchens.
KATE
Sergeant Benton, if you can provide Miss Khan and Mr. Lewis access to the terrain areas in each zone via computer, they can procure maps for the Doctors and the rest of their friends.
BENTON
Of course. This way, Miss Khan; Mr. Lewis.
YAZ
Right behind you, Sergeant.
DAN
Hopefully this should be easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
Benton leads the way out with Yaz and Dan following him. Meanwhile…
FRANCESCA
Brigadier; Miss Stewart. Final conference. We must be clear on the mission details and who’s going to go into which dimension to rescue the other Doctors and their friends.
BRIGADIER
Quite right, Miss Francesca. We mustn’t dilly-dally.
KATE
I just hope we’ll be able to rescue the other Doctors and their friends successfully.
SCENE #55 – EXT – ISLAND (1863/2563) (ZONE #1) – DAY, AFTERNOON
Back with the First and Second Doctors and their friends Ian, Barbara, Susan, Jamie and Zoe on the island…
DOCTOR 1
So, my friend. You’re in the same position as me and my party are. Hmm?
DOCTOR 2
Yes, I’m afraid so. We’ve been taken out of our times and places and put into whatever, wherever and whenever we’re meant to be. I’m not sure that this is even the planet Earth.
DOCTOR 1
Evidence would suggest otherwise, my dear fellow. (Pause) Look behind you. Where you crashed your spaceship.
The Second Doctor looks behind him.
DOCTOR 2
(realises) Yes, I see what you mean. It’s night-time over there.
JAMIE
(realises) Aye, it is. And it’s daytime where we are. Bright, clear blue sky.
ZOE
It’s impossible. It can’t be both day and night on the same island.
DOCTOR 1
Not necessarily impossible, my dear. This seems to be a convergence of two spatial-temporal zones.
BARBARA
A convergence of… what?
IAN
How did you work that one out, Doctor?
DOCTOR 1
(to Doctor 2) Tell me, sir. Would you say your spaceship is from the future?
DOCTOR 2
(ruefully) Of course it is. It’s quite obvious when you see it.
DOCTOR 1
Appearances aren’t always what they seem in my experience.
JAMIE
We assumed the TARDIS ended up on a spaceship in the future and that it was travelling back in time.
DOCTOR 1
An excellent theory, my boy. But I theorise that someone or something has been able to manipulate the same spatial location, this island, but from two different time zones to be merged together. That being has placed us deliberately into each of the two different time zones of the same place in order for us to meet like this.
SUSAN
That maelstrom is Space and Time. It took all four of us, including me holding onto the TARDIS.
ZOE
(surprised) What?! You were holding onto the TARDIS?!
SUSAN
I was saying goodbye to my grandfather at the time. Or rather he was saying goodbye to me. I was outside the TARDIS and got caught in her dimensional energy field when the Ship was being pulled towards the maelstrom.
DOCTOR 1
(reassuringly) It’s quite alright, I assure you. My granddaughter and I are from the same planet, so she can cope with existing outside Space and Time in the same way I can.
BARBARA
I’m relieved to hear it. Ian and I were panic-stricken when it happened. Weren’t we, Ian?
IAN
Indeed we were.
ZOE
(astonished) Your granddaughter? She’s your granddaughter?
SUSAN
Yes, I am.
JAMIE
Then if you Doctor and you Doctor are the same person, that means that…
DOCTOR 2
Yes, Jamie. She’s my granddaughter too. (cheerily) Hello, Susan.
SUSAN
(nervously) It’s nice to see you too, grandfather. You said you would come back.
DOCTOR 2
Yes, but err… not in these circumstances, I think.
DOCTOR 1
And I still haven’t left you on Earth to be with David, my child.
DOCTOR 2
By the way, it’s nice to see you too, Ian and Barbara. It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?
IAN
(baffled) Err… nice to see you too, Doctor.
BARBARA
(baffled) Yes, err… you’ve changed quite a bit.
DOCTOR 2
(pleased) Why, thank you, my dear. How kind. I’d like to think I improve with age.
SUSAN
(interjects; continues) Anyway, once we entered the maelstrom, my grandfather, Ian, Barbara and I blacked out. We soon found ourselves aboard the sailing ship in a storm before we arrived on the island.
JAMIE
(realises) That’s what happened to us. We fell into that maelstrom thing and blacked out. We left the TARDIS to find ourselves aboard the spaceship. Then we crashed onto the island.
DOCTOR 2
(to Doctor 1) Do you think it’s possible? That a mysterious being managed to merge two time zones of the same spatial location purely for us to meet like this.
DOCTOR 1
A possibility. A likely possibility. Temporal extraction if I’m correct.
BARBARA
But how can you be sure of this, Doctor? I know one side of the island is darker than the other, but it can’t simply be day and night at the same time on the same island.
DOCTOR 1
Can’t it, my dear? Hmm? Can’t it? Remember when Susan and I sensed temporal emissions emanating from this island?
SUSAN
I’m sensing them more clearly the longer we spend on this island. It does feel like two time zones converging with each other.
IAN
And how come there are two of you, Doctor? How come one of you looks different from the other and behaves differently from the other?
JAMIE
Aye, that’s what I would like to know.
ZOE
So would I.
DOCTOR 2
Oh dear. I hoped we would avoid explaining regeneration and renewal.
DOCTOR 1
The issue of how my counterpart and I appear and behave differently to each other is irrelevant at present. And it’s not necessary to know when we have bigger fish to fry.
SUSAN
(teases) Don’t worry, grandfather. I won’t ask.
DOCTOR 1
(pleased) I’m very glad to hear that, my dear.
Just then, teleports take place.
BARBARA
(startled) What was that? Where did those whizzing sounds come from?
IAN
(nervously) They were quite close by.
SUSAN
(cries; panics) Grandfather; everyone! Look!
Everyone looks and they see three Daleks before them.
COMMAND DALEK
(barks) DO NOT MOVE!!! DO NOT MOVE!!!
DALEK #1
(barks) STAY WHERE YOU ARE! YOU ARE OUR PRISONERS!
DOCTOR 1
(shocked) Daleks!
DOCTOR 2
(cries) Everyone, run!
Everyone runs for it and the Daleks make their pursuit.
DALEK #2
(barks) DO NOT RESIST! HALT! HALT OR YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!!!!!
The Daleks open fire, but thankfully, they miss.
BARBARA
I thought we had seen the last of the Daleks on Earth.
IAN
Evidently not it seems.
JAMIE
How can the Daleks be here? Are they behind the mess we’re in?
ZOE
Let’s answer that question later, Jamie. Right now, we need to get to somewhere safe.
DOCTOR 2
(urgently) Come on, everyone! Keep running!
DOCTOR 1
Help me, Susan, my dear. I can’t run as fast as everyone else.
SUSAN
Yes, grandfather. But we have to keep moving!
Susan helps her grandfather, as they and everyone else makes their escape. The Daleks continue their pursuit, as they continue to open fire upon the First and Second Doctors and their friends.
COMMAND DALEK
(barks) HALT! HALT AT ONCE!!!
DALEK #1
(barks) OBEY! OBEY THE DALEKS!!!
DALEK #2
(barks) YOU CANNOT ESCAPE US! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!!!
DALEKS
(chants) EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!! EXTERMINATE!!!
© Tim Bradley, 2023
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