THE BRAIN OF MORBIUS

BY: "ROBIN BLAND" (TERRANCE DICKS REWRITTEN BY ROBERT HOLMES)

Part Two

Original Air Date: 10 January 1976
Running time: 24:46

SARAH: He's mad. He must be.

SOLON (OOV.): Before we start the operation all instruments must be sterilised. Do you understand?

SOLON: We'll start the operation at once as the risks of meningal infection are very high.

SOLON: I think just one medic is sufficient to.

SOLON: Condo.

CONDO: Doctor gone.

SOLON: I can see that, you chicken-brained biological disaster, but how? And where? That drug. Did you put it all into the wine?

CONDO: Yes, master. All little bottle in big.

SOLON: Then he must still be unconscious. He can't have moved. That squalid brood of harpies, the Sisterhood. That accursed hag Maren found I was holding a Time Lord and rescued him. May her stinking bones rot! I'll see her die, Condo. I'll see that palsied harridan scream for death before Morbius and I are finished with her.

CONDO: What do?

SOLON: We must get the Doctor back. We must!

CONDO: Sisters see much, master. See with mind.

SOLON: I could wait a lifetime and not find a head as suitable. Whatever the risk, we have to get him back. Come.

DOCTOR: Have I been ill long, nurse?

MAREN: I am leader of the Sisters.

DOCTOR: Hmm? Sorry, matron.

MAREN: Maren.

DOCTOR: No, thank you. I had a little drink about an hour ago. Events have moved along while I was asleep.

MAREN: You feign ignorance, Time Lord?

DOCTOR: Please, just call me Doctor. I hate all this bowing and scraping.

MAREN: Do you wish to confess?

DOCTOR: Confess? To what?

MAREN: That you were sent here by the High Council of the Time Lords.

DOCTOR: Well, I have to confess

MAREN: Good.

DOCTOR: That I don't really know. The calibrators have been on the blink recently.

DOCTOR: How did you get her here, by the way?

OHICA: The power of the Sisterhood.

DOCTOR: Really? What, you mean you still practise teleportation? How quaint. Now, if you got yourself a decent forklift truck

MAREN: Doctor, you have but a little time left. Will you waste it prattling nonsense or confess your guilt.

DOCTOR: What do you mean, I have but a little time left?

MAREN: Before you die.

DOCTOR: But I'm only seven hundred and forty nine. Life doesn't begin until seven hundred and

MAREN: At the next sun. That is agreed.

DOCTOR: Not by me, it isn't. I haven't even been consulted.

MAREN: Confess that you were sent here to steal the Elixir of Life, and your death will be made easy.

DOCTOR: I haven't the vaguest notion of what you're talking about. The last thing I remember, I was taking a glass of wine with Solon and Morbius.

MAREN: Morbius is d*ad.

DOCTOR: That's right. Morbius is d*ad.

DOCTOR: How did I get that impression?

MAREN: The Time Lords destroyed Morbius for his crimes here on Karn.

DOCTOR: Solon had a clay model of his head. But it was more than that. A living mental contact. I felt the mind of Morbius.

OHICA: Morbius was ex*cuted for leading the rebellion. His body was placed in a dispersal chamber and atomised to the nine corners of the universe.

DOCTOR: I know that. But I tell you, Maren. Just for a second, before I passed out, his mind touched mine. I felt his burning hatred and anguish. Morbius is alive.

MAREN: I suppose you think raising these old fears can somehow help you, but I was present at his execution. Morbius is d*ad, Doctor, and you will join him very shortly.

SOLON: Quietly. We're nearing the shrine.

CONDO: Condo k*ll?

SOLON: Put that away, you oaf. The last thing I want is trouble from the Sisters.

CONDO: Not k*ll Sisters, master? How we get big head?

SOLON: We wait. They've got to come out sometime, so we wait. Then we follow, and when he's alone. But not until then, do you understand?

CONDO: Master.

SOLON: What is it?

CONDO: Condo hear.

SOLON: I heard nothing.

CONDO: Why Sisters take wood?

SOLON: I was wondering the same thing.

OHICA: All is ready, High One.

MAREN: The sun appears. I give you the last chance, Doctor, to confess your guilt.

DOCTOR: I'm guilty of nothing.

MAREN: This powder can spare you from the anger of the flame. Without it, you will die in torment, so confess.

DOCTOR: You seem convinced I'm guilty. Why is it so important I confess?

MAREN: With your spoken confession, the Time Lords can never deny they plotted against the Sisterhood.

DOCTOR: Plotted against you? You've got it wrong, matron.

MAREN: Nevertheless

DOCTOR: Nevertheless nothing. For years, the Time Lords have extended their friendship towards the Sisters. When Morbius and his rebels overran this planet, who was it saved you?

MAREN: The Time Lords acted then as they do now, from self-interest. They too feared Morbius. They too depended on the Elixir of Life for their survival.

OHICA: And now the Elixir no longer forms, you Time Lords want for yourselves the little that remains.

DOCTOR: What do you mean, the Elixir no longer forms?

OHICA: The Sacred Flame dies.

DOCTOR: How can it? That flame is the product of gases forcing up along a geological fault from deep in the molten heart of the planet. It will burn for millions of years.

MAREN: It dies.

DOCTOR: Unless some subterranean movement. Have you noticed any tremors recently?

OHICA: It is time for the sacrifice, High One.

MAREN: Take him. The flame must feed.

DOCTOR: No, wait, please. Please, listen.

DOCTOR: Why don't you listen? This could explain why I've been sent here. You need scientific advice.

MAREN: You had the chance of mercy, Doctor.

DOCTOR: This could be a grave mistake, Maren. If those gases are sealed in, this entire mountain could explode. Remember Cotopaxi? Mount Vesuvius? What about Pompeii? Surely you remember Popocatepetl?

SOLON: It's the song of death.

CONDO: What?

SOLON: They're sacrificing to the flame. I must see what's happening. I must get nearer.

CONDO: No, master. Evil place.

SOLON: The sacrifice to the flame. They never offer up one of their own. It's always an outsider. I must see what's happening.

SOLON: Stop it! Stop it!

CONDO: Master.

MAREN: What is the meaning of this?

SOLON: I'm sorry. I'm deeply sorry.

MAREN: Death to those who enter the Shrine.

SISTERS: Death, death, death, death.

MAREN: Your presence is a blasphemy against the Sacred Flame.

SISTERS: Death, death, death.

SOLON: Maren, High One, believe me, I meant no harm.

MAREN: The harm is done. The sacrifice is defiled.

DOCTOR: Take no notice, Solon. I'm delighted to see you.

OHICA: Be silent!

DOCTOR: That music was terrible.

OHICA: Enough! The High One commands.

SOLON: Maren, I only came here to ask a favour from the Sisterhood. I never intended to offend against

MAREN: What is the favour, Solon?

SOLON: In all the years I've been here on Karn, I've never asked or sought anything of the Sisterhood before. I've helped you, I've treated many of the Sisterhood.

MAREN: All this is true. What do you want?

SOLON: The Doctor. Spare his life.

DOCTOR: Hear, hear. Seconded. Anyone against?

MAREN: The Doctor is condemned. He must die in the flame.

SOLON: But the Time Lords and the Sisterhood, they

MAREN: That alliance no longer exists!

SOLON: Maren, I beg you, I beseech you. If you must sacrifice, then take my servant!

MAREN: Go, Solon. Leave now.

SOLON: Look, please, if you're going to sacrifice him, then just leave me his head. Only as far as the cervical vertebrae. You can keep the rest but I must have his head. Please, don't burn his head. I need it. I need it for my

MAREN: The Sisterhood know of your unnatural experiments, Solon. Your affairs hold no interest for us.

MAREN: Your presence here on Karn is tolerated only as long as you keep your place. Be gone from here at once or you too will die in the flame.

SOLON: I'm sorry. I'm deeply sorry.

SISTERS: Sacred Flame. Sacred f*re.

MAREN: Make the offering.

DOCTOR: I'm ready, Maren.

MAREN: Flame of life, f*re of death, take this body into thy eternal heart.

MAREN: Stop them! Stop them!

DOCTOR: Come on, let's follow them. They must know the way.

SOLON: What a waste. What a stupid, senseless waste.

CONDO: You give Condo. Why?

SOLON: What?

CONDO: Condo good servant. You give Sisters, let k*ll Condo.

SOLON: Silence, you chattering ape. Haven't I enough to think about?

CONDO: Condo k*ll you!

SOLON: Now don't be a fool.

CONDO: Condo not fool. Condo not fool now.

SOLON: Now stop it, do you hear? Now let me go.

CONDO: You make Condo fool. Now you die.

SOLON: Condo, what are you doing? For mercy's sake. No, no, don't. I didn't mean it. I wouldn't have let them. You can't think I'd have let them do it? It was only a joke. It was just a silly joke.

CONDO: Solon joke.

SOLON: That's all. Just a joke. A stupid joke.

CONDO: Condo not joke. You loose hands.

SOLON: No, no, I'll do anything. You want your arm? You can have your arm back!

CONDO: Take hook? Give good arm?

SOLON: I wouldn't lie to you, would I? I mean, I have the arm. You know I've got the arm. That's what you always wanted, isn't it?

CONDO: Give arm now. Condo not k*ll.

SOLON: You go to the laboratory and get it ready, and I'll fetch the arm.

DOCTOR: I think we've given them the slip. The barbecue's off. What's the matter?

SARAH: I can't see.

DOCTOR: What?

SARAH: I've gone blind.

DOCTOR: Let me look. Let me look.

SARAH: Ow. It was the flash.

DOCTOR: Shush. Keep still, keep still. I can't see anything. They look perfectly normal to me.

SARAH: Oh, is that hopeful?

DOCTOR: Yeah, of course it is. The flash probably numbed the optic nerve. It'll wear off in a few hours. Come on.

SARAH: Or not, as the case may be.

DOCTOR: Oh, Sarah.

SARAH: Sorry, sorry.

DOCTOR: Gently, gently.

SARAH: Thanks. Hey, you know, I could always sell flowers, couldn't I? You know, lovely fresh violets, guv. If I ever get back to Piccadilly.

DOCTOR: Shush. If you're going to sit there wallowing in self-pity, I'll bite your nose.

SARAH: You.

DOCTOR: Come on, let's go.

SARAH: Right. Where are we going?

DOCTOR: Solon's.

SARAH: What? Are you nuts?

DOCTOR: Come on. I've got the measure of Solon now.

SARAH: No, Doctor, he's a maniac. He's got a body there. No head, oh no. It's just made out of lumps of things.

DOCTOR: Has he, now?

SARAH: Yes.

DOCTOR: Well, I have a feeling he's keeping something else there too. Something far worse than a headless body.

SARAH: I just don't understand you.

DOCTOR: Come on.

SOLON: I promise you faithfully you'll be free again, but I only need a little more time to complete my final experiments.

MORBIUS: I grow weary of your endless promises, Solon. Always you need more time.

SOLON: But if you could only see how much has been accomplished and how little remains. I have worked night and day in your service, Morbius. When I brought you here there was nothing! I had to build my own laboratory out of ruins. I had to invent and construct my own equipment to start experiments.

MORBIUS: Experiments? When we formed this plan to outwit the Time Lords, nothing was said of experiments! You told me it could be done.

SOLON: And it can, Morbius, it can. I've made so many discoveries. I have mastered new techniques no other man has even conceived. I can transplant limbs, organs. I can create life. And all against the most appalling difficulties.

MORBIUS: Yet I am still here! I can see nothing, feel nothing. You have locked me into hell for eternity. If this is all there is for me, I would sooner die now.

SOLON: There is so much at stake. I cannot afford to take a risk. Every step is an advance into new fields of surgery. Every step has got to be tested.

MORBIUS: Solon! You desire to be know as the creator of Morbius, rather than his servant.

SOLON: No, Morbius, you must trust me. I face many problems. Even Condo has become unreliable and must be put down.

CONDO (OOV.): Master! Master!

CONDO: Master!

SOLON: Doctor. Well, what happened? Did they release you?

DOCTOR: Oh, we got away.

SOLON: I did my best to save you at the risk of my own life. I tried to make Maren see reason.

DOCTOR: Yes, I noticed. I was very touched by your concern.

SOLON: Well, it's wonderful to see you. Some wine?

DOCTOR: No, thank you. We've had one taste of your hospitality. All I want from you, Solon, is a professional opinion. Sarah's been blinded. Examine her eyes.

SOLON: We'll have to go to the laboratory.

DOCTOR: After you.

OHICA: They may still be hiding among the rocks, Maren. Shall we continue searching?

MAREN: The Time Lord can never leave Karn. We have his TARDIS. Sooner or later he will return for his machine, and we will be ready for him.

OHICA: Yes, High One.

MAREN: Next time he will not be so fortunate, Ohica. He will wish he had died in the flame.

DOCTOR: Well?

DOCTOR: Well?

SARAH: Yes, what's the verdict?

SOLON: I think there's every chance, every chance of a complete recovery, but I have to check my findings, of course. Condo, would you take the, our young guest back to the parlour, please.

SARAH: No! Doctor, don't let

DOCTOR: Now Sarah, don't worry. Whatever the truth is, you'll hear it. Go on.

CONDO: Girl not see. Condo help.

DOCTOR: Thank you.

DOCTOR: Well?

SOLON: I'm very, very sorry.

DOCTOR: Can't you operate?

SOLON: The retina's almost completely destroyed. There's nothing I can do for her.

DOCTOR: Nothing?

SOLON: Well, there's a faint chance.

DOCTOR: A chance?

SOLON: No, it's impossible.

DOCTOR: What chance?

SOLON: The Elixir of Life. As you know, it regenerates tissues. But the Sisterhood control its only source. You're not going to get any from there.

DOCTOR: If that's what's needed, I'll get it.

SOLON: You can't go back to the Shrine. They'd k*ll you on the spot.

DOCTOR: I must take that risk. Sarah can stay here.

SOLON: You don't know Maren. Maren is not going to let you have the Elixir.

DOCTOR: We'll see.

SOLON: Doctor?

DOCTOR: Yes.

SOLON: Good luck.

SOLON: Condo!

SOLON (OOV.): Condo!

CONDO: Master call. Condo go him.

SARAH: Ow!

MORBIUS (OOV.): Solon!

SARAH: Hello?

MORBIUS (OOV.): Solon, is that you?

SARAH: Who's there?

MORBIUS (OOV.): Solon!

SOLON: Condo, I want you to take this to the Sisterhood. You understand?

CONDO: Sisters?

SOLON: Now, don't worry. You're in no danger. Just put it into their hands. But you must hurry. You must get there before the Doctor. Do you understand that? Right.

SARAH: Where are you?

MORBIUS: Here.

SARAH: Who is it? What's the matter?

MORBIUS: Who are you?

SARAH: I just want to help. What's wrong? I can't see.

MORBIUS: Where have you come from? Are you one of the Sisterhood?

SARAH: No.

MORBIUS: Did Maren send you to destroy me?

SARAH: No, of course not!

MORBIUS: Yes, she did! You she-devils want to destroy me!

SARAH: No!

MORBIUS: Now, before I've had my revenge!

SARAH: No!
{"type": "series", "show": "Doctor Who", "episode": "13x18 - The Brain of Morbius - part 2"}