Episode 3
(Later, in the living room of Sir Charles Summer's home, the Princess is staring at the clock, anxiously.)
SUMMER: Take my advice, my dear. It's no good upsetting yourself.
PRINCESS: How can I not be upset, Sir Charles? It was us who let him go, on his own, against an unknown threat. He should have been back here by now, or telephoned at least.
SUMMER: Well, you know what young people are like. He's probably been distracted by something.
DOCTOR: No, not this one, Sir Charles, no. He seemed quite a responsible young lad. No, we can only assume that if he hasn't come back or phoned, that he's unable to do so.
SUMMER: Well, what do you suppose stopped him?
DOCTOR: Impossible to say for certain.
SUMMER: Well, we've given him four hours. Perhaps it is time that I asked the police to investigate?
DOCTOR: No, Sir Charles, I don't think we should involve the police at this moment.
PRINCESS: But, Doctor, Ben could be hurt.
DOCTOR: I'm well aware of that, my dear, but I have faith in that young man. Let us give him another hour at least.
SUMMER: Another hour? Oh, Doctor, this is getting out of hand. As it stands all you've got is theory and rumour, nothing concrete. We simply cannot delay C-Day because of that alone.
PRINCESS: But something did attack us, Sir Charles, through the phone.
SUMMER: An…electric shock. Or a sudden and sharp headache.
DOCTOR: No, Sir Charles, it was a force. An evil force of great power. But I agree, we need hard evidence. Just give that young man one more hour to materialise, please. If he hasn't phoned or returned by then, then by all means call the police.
SUMMER: Oh, very well. But one hour, not a minute more. The clock is ticking towards C-Day and we must get this business straightened out and sorted before then. God help us if the press should hear about all this.
(Summer exits the room.)
PRINCESS: The press will be the least of our worries, if that force decides to make a move.
DOCTOR: I agree wholeheartedly, my dear. But for now, all we can do is wait.
PRINCESS: But we could go down and look for Ben ourselves–
DOCTOR: It's out of the question! As I told you, if that force gets a hold of us, it could make things extraordinarily worse.
(The Doctor stares at the depressed and anxious Princess.)
DOCTOR: But, if we haven't heard from Ben by the time the hour's up, I'll go with the police to investigate. But you shall remain here, where you'll be safe.
PRINCESS: Doctor, no–
DOCTOR: I'm responsible for you, my dear, I must protect you from forces such as this. I won't allow you to be used like Dodo was.
PRINCESS: And I won't let the same happen to you either.
(The Princess places her hand on the Doctor's arm. The Doctor smiles appreciatively, patting the Princess' hand, before both go back to watching the clock.)
(One hour later, the Doctor and Princess are sat at the dining table in Sir Charles Summer's living room. Summer himself is stood nearby.)
SUMMER: That's been precisely one hour, Doctor.
DOCTOR: Yes, I am aware.
SUMMER: I'll telephone for the police.
DOCTOR: (Standing up) Tell them I'll meet them there.
PRINCESS: (Standing up) Doctor–
SUMMER: Surely, Doctor–
DOCTOR: (To Princess) Now, you stay here, my dear. We've been over this.
PRINCESS: But it could be dangerous, we still don't know what we're up against.
DOCTOR: All the more reason for me to go, so that we can identify the enemy. And naturally, I'll be careful. Now, I'll phone you here regularly with updates. If I should miss a call, assume the worst and use your best judgement – but do not come after me or go anywhere near the Post of Tower, do you hear me?
PRINCESS: Yes, I hear you.
DOCTOR: Good. Now, Sir Charles, if you'd be good enough to organise a car.
(The doorbell rings.)
PRINCESS: Ben.
DOCTOR: It could be.
(The Princess hurries to the door, and heads through to the hallway. Once in the hallway she goes to the front door with Summer behind her. The Princess opens the door, and Ben falls towards her. The Princess catches him but struggles to maintain her balance until Summer comes to aid her. They balance Ben between them, taking an arm each.)
PRINCESS: Ben?! Ben, what happened?
SUMMER: Let's get him inside. Man clearly needs a seat.
(The Princess and Summer take Ben through to the living room, where the Doctor is waiting.)
DOCTOR: My dear boy, what's happened to you?
(The Princess and Summer put Ben into a chair. Ben is breathing heavily, clearly exhausted, as well as dirty and covered in sweat.)
SUMMER: Are you, all right?
PRINCESS: It's all right, Ben, you're safe now. Just take a few deep breaths for me. (Checks his pulse with his wrist, then to Doctor) His heart is racing.
DOCTOR: Lad seems petrified.
PRINCESS: You're safe here, Ben. Whatever you saw, whatever happened, you're among friends now. We can protect you. Just take your time, breath, talk only when you're ready.
BEN: She's…She's still there!
DOCTOR: Who is, my boy?
BEN: Polly!
PRINCESS: Easy, Ben, easy. Deep breaths, remember.
BEN: But they've got her! They've done something to her! She…She was acting strange, and now she's working with them!
PRINCESS: Ben, you need to breath. Your heart is racing, you need to stop–
BEN: No! I–I have to tell you, before it's too late! If I don't tell you right now, then they'll destroy half of London!
PRINCESS: Ben, I promise you, a few minutes won't make a difference to anything but your health. Apart from that, if you continue to speak like this, we won't be able to understand you. You need to look at me and take a breath. Slow down and start again from the beginning. Whatever it is we're safe here. Just take a minute to calm yourself, so that we can understand one another. That's it, well done.
DOCTOR: All right, my boy, what happened?
BEN: I…I went back to the club like you said, in Covent Garden. I…I looked around for a bit, and then I found them – in a warehouse. They were building this…machine!
PRINCESS: Easy, Ben, easy.
BEN: It…It came right at me. I tried to get away, and that's when I found Polly. Only…Only she wasn't herself. She was asking about what I'd seen. And when I told her she locked us in so we couldn't escape.
DOCTOR: What about this machine you saw, tell us about it.
BEN: It was…it was a killer. It was designed to kill.
DOCTOR: How could you tell?
BEN: Well, from the way it looked!
PRINCESS: Ben, take a breath. Now, describe it for us.
BEN: Well, it was…it was big. Taller than any of us. And it had these arms at the sides, almost like clubs. It broke through everything in its path. And it looked like there were weapons on the sides as well.
DOCTOR: Did it move?
BEN: Yes.
DOCTOR: How?
BEN: I'm not sure. It…It had some track thing. Like something you'd find on the wheels of a tank.
DOCTOR: Anything else you can remember?
BEN: It had a dish on top.
PRINCESS: Something for receiving signals.
BEN: Yeah, maybe.
DOCTOR: And what about sight, how did it see?
BEN: Well, I'm not sure, but it had this big black bar, like a window along the front.
DOCTOR: Hmm. Troubling, most troubling indeed.
SUMMER: Don't tell me that you believe this fantastic story, Doctor?
DOCTOR: Well, I'm afraid I do.
SUMMER: What, that this machine, made by man, is capable of all that this boy has said?
PRINCESS: It's entirely possible, Sir Charles. We've seen something similar before.
DOCTOR: Though not for some time. (To himself) Or anywhere near this time and place.
SUMMER: Oh, come on. The boy's suffering from some sort of delusion.
PRINCESS: And what makes you say that, Sir Charles?
SUMMER: Because it's impossible. Here, in the heart of London?
BEN: (Standing up) Look, I'm telling you, it has happened! Don't let's waste any more time arguing!
PRINCESS: Ben, please–
DOCTOR: We are not wasting time, my dear boy! We need Sir Charles' authority, his help. Without this we can do nothing.
BEN: Look, Sir Charles, every minute we waste is dangerous. They look as if they're preparing an arsenal to blow up half of London.
SUMMER: Well, if this is so, why weren't the police informed?
BEN: Well, I'm telling you now, aren't I?! I nearly got done, what more do you want?! You inform them! If you don't it'll be on your own head!
SUMMER: I don't like your tone, young man.
PRINCESS: Sir Charles, I think you can agree, regardless of what you believe, this young man has clearly been through a lot. Please, forgive his tone.
(Summer sighs, but nods.)
PRINCESS: Ben, sit back down. You need rest, let us talk to Sir Charles.
(Ben, reluctantly, lets the Princess put him back in his seat.)
PRINCESS: Sir Charles, you must accept that something is going on at the very least.
SUMMER: I do, Princess. Though what that is, I'm not quite sure. In any case, I'll be having a word with the Commissioner of Police.
DOCTOR: No, Sir Charles. I think the police might find it too big for them to handle at the moment.
SUMMER: Well, that is for them to decide. (To Ben) How many of them were there?
BEN: The machines?
SUMMER: No, people, man. How many people?
BEN: About twenty.
DOCTOR: And were all of them as you described Polly?
BEN: Yeah. They were all stiff and expressionless, almost like machines themselves. Even the way they talked was odd.
DOCTOR: What did they say?
BEN: It was mostly about working. (Remembers) But there was something about, 'All machines must be ready by noon tomorrow.'
PRINCESS: Ready for what?
BEN: To attack London!
SUMMER: Ah, well, we shall see. It should be a fairly simple matter to surround this place and arrest twenty people.
BEN: And who'll do that, the coppers?
SUMMER: That is what the police are for.
BEN: But that machine will make mincemeat of them in twenty seconds flat!
SUMMER: Then presumably they'll send for the army and that'll put a stop to this machine of yours.
DOCTOR: I'm afraid we've got all our priorities mixed up. They may be able to destroy this machine, but in all probability, there are others waiting to attack us.
PRINCESS: You mean there might be other groups working in other warehouses throughout the city.
DOCTOR: Exactly. And I doubt very much if we can find them all by tomorrow noon. No, I think we should strike at what I believe to be the centre of this menace.
PRINCESS: WOTAN.
SUMMER: Oh, now, I hardly think that'll be necessary. There's no evidence to link Professor Brett with this machine of yours.
BEN: No link up?! What about Polly?!
SUMMER: I've had quite enough from you, young man. I shall handle this affair in my own way.
(Summer heads through to his office. Ben goes to follow him, but the Doctor stop him by putting a hand in front of him. Ben tries to go past anyway, but the Princess puts her hand on his shoulder, and he stops.)
PRINCESS: It'll be all right, Ben.
BEN: But he doesn't believe us, Princess.
DOCTOR: Well, my boy, the official mind can only take in so much at a time.
BEN: Meaning what?
PRINCESS: Some people need to see it, to believe it.
DOCTOR: Aptly put, my dear.
PRINCESS: But he is doing something, Ben. It might not be what we want, but he is investigating.
DOCTOR: And once he starts looking, and sees the evidence before him for himself, he won't be able to deny it any longer.
BEN: But what if it's too late by then?
DOCTOR: Well, it's a good thing we're here to help speed up the process. Come along, we don't want to keep Sir Charles waiting.
BEN: Waiting for what?
DOCTOR: Well, having spent more than a few hours alone with the man, I've gotten to know him quite well. And like us, he likes to get hands on with these sort of problems.
BEN: Oh, right.
DOCTOR: Come on.
(The Doctor, Princess and Ben head out into the hallway. The Doctor puts on his cloak and hat. Once he's done, Summer comes through to join them in the hallway.)
SUMMER: Well, you'll be happy to hear the army are being brought in.
BEN: To right.
SUMMER: I'm heading to Covent Garden to meet them.
DOCTOR: We shall follow on.
SUMMER: Right.
(Summer heads out the door.)
DOCTOR: Eh, young man, see what you can do about getting us a taxi.
BEN: All right, Doctor.
(Ben heads out the door after Summer, leaving the Doctor and Princess alone in the hallway.)
DOCTOR: Now, my dear–
PRINCESS: We go together.
DOCTOR: Now, my dear, I really must–
PRINCESS: You can say what you like, but unless you physically restrain me, I'm coming with you.
DOCTOR: But, my dear…
PRINCESS: I'll stay back, as will you, and we'll let the military do what they do. Once we know it's safe, we go in together.
DOCTOR: And if it's not safe?
PRINCESS: Well…we'll take it from there.
(Doctor thinks for a moment, before…)
DOCTOR: (Sighing) Oh, very well, I can see you've made your mind up. Stubborn as ever.
PRINCESS: I must have picked it up from you.
DOCTOR: Oh, really! (Chuckling) As I recall you've always been this way.
PRINCESS: As have you.
(The Doctor and Princess exit Sir Charles Summer's house and join Ben outside in search of a taxi.)
(Later, upon arriving at Covent Garden, the Doctor, Princess and Ben enter the scene. They find officers, and military personnel all around, talking to each other or through radios, at tables with maps and blueprints, all anxious and alert. Summer is stood by a barricade, looking towards a warehouse at the end of the street with binoculars. The time travellers and Ben approach Summer.)
DOCTOR: What is happening, Sir Charles?
SUMMER: (Lowering binoculars) We don't know yet.
DOCTOR: (Pointing to warehouse) And what is in there?
(A captain, as well as some other soldiers come over to join them.)
CAPTAIN: It's one of our patrols.
DOCTOR: When did they go on?
CAPTAIN: A few minutes ago, sir. We haven't been able to raise them since they entered.
(Suddenly soldiers come running out of the warehouse.)
SOLDIER: Look out!
(The soldiers run for cover, as the entire wooden door to the warehouse is smashed through, by a War Machine. Everyone is shocked by its arrival.)
DOCTOR: Good heavens!
SUMMER: What the devil!
(The War Machine comes halfway up the street, then stops. Everyone is still for a moment, waiting to see what happens.)
SUMMER: (To Captain) Get me a loudhailer. (A soldier hands him one, then to warehouse) Now, listen to me. You are completely surrounded. Stop the machine and come out. If you try any tricks, we shall open fire.
(After a moment, the War Machine then resumes its journey towards them.)
CAPTAIN: All right, chaps, open fire!
(The soldiers fire their guns…but nothing happens. They frantically pull the triggers to their weapons, but nothing comes out. Their guns won't fire. With the War Machine coming closer and closer, the soldiers run back to the barricade.)
SOLDIER: It's coming this way, sir!
CAPTAIN: Try the machine gun!
(The soldier at the mounted machine gun tries firing, but like the other weapons, it doesn't work.)
CAPTAIN: Fire, man!
SOLDIER: It's no use sir, it's jammed! All the guns are jammed! It must be that thing!
CAPTAIN: (To Summer) I don't think it can be stopped, sir. We'll have to evacuate this place, and quick.
SUMMER: But we can't leave now! We can't let that thing loose over London!
CAPTAIN: It's no good, sir! The weapons are jamming!
(The War Machine is getting closer and closer.)
CAPTAIN: Everybody, back under cover, now!
(Everyone runs for cover, as the War Machine gets closer and closer…but not the Doctor, nor the Princess. The Doctor stands right where he is, watching the War Machine as it approaches. The Princess stands at his side, albeit, anxious when compared to the Doctor. But she too remains firm, holding his arm for comfort, while the Doctor holds his lapels beneath his cloak. The War Machine goes straight through the barriers, knocking them over and crushing them beneath itself. Still, the Doctor and Princess do not move, staring down the War Machine, as it comes straight at them…)
